Services – NEPA/CEQA Documentation
See below for all for our NEPA/CEQA documentation services.
West County Wastewater District (WCWD) Social Media
WCWD provides wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal services for nearly 93,000 residents in Contra Costa County. Circlepoint worked with WCWD to develop and implement a strategic approach to social media maintenance, and production and distribution of the WCWD newsletter, to increase understanding and raise awareness of the value WCWD contributes to its customers and the communities it serves.
To foster growth of followers and boost the reach of social posts, Circlepoint developed regular Facebook content for the existing WCWD Facebook page. We regularly reviewed relevant materials for additional topical posts, monitored the WCWD Facebook page for comments from the public, and worked with WCWD staff to coordinate responses.
Circlepoint also worked with WCWD to develop its quarterly newsletter. Working with WCWD staff, we developed the newsletter design template and sourced content. In November of 2016, Circlepoint published the first WCWD newsletter. The newsletter was mailed to each household and business within WCWD’s service area. Content included updates on current and completed projects, information on WCWD’s Master Plan, pollution prevention tips, and information about WCWD services. Circlepoint provided both editorial and design/layout services for this newsletter, as well as production coordination.
Waste Team Collateral Materials Rebrand, San Mateo County Office of Sustainability
Circlepoint designed the Office of Sustainability’s (OOS’s) comprehensive brand identity and worked collaboratively with the OOS Waste Team to redesign a variety of existing waste education collateral and develop new materials. Incorporating branding guidelines, we assisted the Waste Team by reviewing current materials and developing recommendations on content and design. Circlepoint also coordinated translation of these materials in multiple languages. The end-product was a suite of fresh, on-brand materials that included
- Composting and gardening brochures
- Instructor and student program manuals and templates
- Infographics
- Event and garden signage and materials
- Board games
- Stickers
USDA Save Our Citrus Awareness Campaign
The Save our Citrus campaign is a project of the USDA to increase awareness of citrus disease nationwide. The Circlepoint team developed an innovative marketing plan to expand the Save Our Citrus campaign. The goal was to generate greater buzz about the consequences of moving citrus and to motivate target audiences to take simple steps to help eradicate citrus pests and diseases. The campaign components include advertising, media outreach, and interactive engagement strategies and tactics—including search engine optimization (SEO), web banner advertising, social media, and a new iPhone app.
In total, the campaign has generated more than 197 million impressions through advertising, more than 70,000 visitors to the Save Our Citrus website, and over 1,400 downloads of the reporting app. With over 450 submissions through the app, reporting by the public has led to confirmed disease sightings. During the 2012 pre-growing and planting season, nearly 14 million online ads were displayed, primarily through an online banner advertising campaign, and nearly 27,000 people clicked through to the Save Our Citrus site for information. Our team successfully leveraged media buys to attain added value that exceeded all expectations for 2012, delivering nearly 700,000 bonus impressions and nearly 2,000 bonus clicks. Our 2013 campaign focused on raising awareness about citrus greening disease and garnered nearly 5 million impressions from on-line display ads and search engine pay-per-click advertising. The Save Our Citrus campaign effectively increases website traffic between 100% to 500% during active advertising phases.
The focus of the 2014 campaign was to raise awareness of citrus disease and stop its spread, with an emphasis on increasing understanding among travelers and consumers of the potential risks associated with moving citrus trees and products. The new campaign concept, Move it and Lose it, featured a highly visual, graphic approach in order to appeal to a wide demographic. Informed by our understanding of the target audiences’ preferred channels for receiving and sharing information, the team also developed an engaging and actionable animated video. In both English and Spanish, the video includes a strong call to action, giving viewers the information and motivation to take the next step and “put the squeeze on citrus disease”.
The campaign’s media mix diversified our online engagement activities and added greater value to our efforts. The 2014 ad campaign reached over 11.6 million people, social media efforts engaged over 389,500 viewers, and the English and Spanish websites have had more than 83,950 unique visitors.
SFMTA Transportation 2030
Transportation 2030 is a $1.5 billion funding package to improve road conditions, transit service, and street safety in San Francisco. The Transportation 2030 package will fund critical transportation infrastructure needs and establish a long-term funding source to repave roads, improve Muni service, and make streets safer for all users.
Circlepoint helped develop the strategy for engaging key San Francisco stakeholders to raise awareness and educate the public about this funding measure, including meetings in each district in San Francisco and with key equity groups to discuss what this package funds and how it will benefit the community. Through close collaboration with SFMTA staff, the Circlepoint team developed the name Transportation 2030 and a look-and-feel for outreach materials that included easily identifiable icons for streets, transit, and safety to help drive home the message about what this funding package will pay for. The Circlepoint team used this identity to create a 50-page Bond Report about Transportation 2030 that included infographics, photos, and call-outs to focus attention on the city’s current needs and how those will be met.
Circlepoint continued the campaign by developing a user-friendly, extremely visual website for Transportation 2030 that launched in May 2014. The website engaged audiences across the city from the comfort of their own homes to raise awareness about this critical funding package before the November election. The funding package was passed by San Francisco voters in November 2014.
SFMTA Muni Forward
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has begun a comprehensive effort to modernize Muni by improving service for existing customers and increasing efficiency. The SFMTA hired Circlepoint to bring cohesion to the communications surrounding the many improvement projects and programs by creating an umbrella name and supporting campaign. The goals of the program are to introduce current and future riders to the planned Muni improvements, motivate audiences to participate in the process, and raise awareness about the Muni network and improving mobility in San Francisco.
Circlepoint was brought on board during the final phase of the Transportation Effectiveness Project (TEP), which outlined the first major overhaul of the Muni system in 30 years. Circlepoint hosted more than 30 public meetings to gather final input on this plan, which was approved by the SFMTA Board.
Circlepoint collaborated with SFMTA to develop the Muni Forward brand and implemented the accompanying campaign through a variety of communication channels that helped create a new understanding of Muni and the projects that came out of the TEP. The campaign was driven by the idea that Muni Forward projects and programs are improving the way residents and visitors travel from neighborhood to neighborhood, connecting communities city-wide.
One key channel of the campaign was the Muni Forward website, which served as a consumer-focused, message-driven platform for communicating about Muni improvements and changes. The site was a central location for information about the program and a portal to areas of the MTA website where people may not typically visit. Based on the fact that focus group participants responded positively to the concept of Muni improvements, but were skeptical and confused about how the changes will be achieved, we designed the website to illustrate the benefits of Muni Forward projects and programs and explain how they will be accomplished.
Circlepoint also created The Faces of Muni, a message-driven mini-campaign engaging real Muni riders and operators to talk about what Muni Forward means to them. The campaign included a storyboarding, scripting and shooting a campaign video that summarizes many of the key benefits Muni Forward offers to riders. Circlepoint also managed a robust social media advertising program, on-board transit vehicle advertising and earned media.
Sea Change San Mateo County
The County of San Mateo is leading an effort to address the challenge of sea level rise in the Bay Area, which is among the top 10 hot spots for sea level rise impacts across the country. In San Mateo County, rising sea levels put $24 billion of infrastructure assets at risk. The County has assembled a broad coalition of governments to create a proactive solution by working across jurisdictional boundaries, including stakeholders and organizations peninsula-wide.
Circlepoint developed a unifying brand identity for the County’s sea level rise initiatives and projects. Under the brand name Sea Change San Mateo County, Circlepoint developed and is maintaining a website that educates about the need to address sea level rise and helps position the County as a proactive leader in addressing the challenge through collaboration.
The website serves as a central resource for the County’s continuing efforts on addressing sea level rise, including the County sea level rise vulnerability assessment, the San Bruno/Colma Creek watershed area study, and the creation of a new countywide clean water management agency. In addition to featuring information about upcoming presentations and workshops and compelling graphics and maps, the website will serve as a platform for the diverse audiences impacted by sea level rise to be engaged in and informed of these important efforts.
As the project moved into the public outreach phase, Circlepoint helped develop a suite of branded materials to engage project stakeholders through a diverse variety of channels. These materials include: exhibit boards, posters, postcards, one-pagers and more.
San Mateo County Office of Sustainability Rebrand and Website
The Office of Sustainability (OOS) strives to improve the sustainability of San Mateo County’s operations and the greater community through work in areas of renewable energy and energy efficiency; resource conservation; alternative transportation; and greenhouse gas emission reductions.
The OOS hired Circlepoint to create a comprehensive brand identity that encompasses the wide range of sustainability programs the OOS administers and services it offers. The brand position conveys the OOS’s unique attributes and qualities, and supports their mission to help the County of San Mateo and its communities adapt to their changing environment.
Circlepoint began the branding process by reviewing existing brand assets, collateral materials, media coverage, and analyzing the competitive landscape of similar brands. We also facilitated a visioning workshop with the OOS’s entire staff to develop a new brand identity and strategy, including a logo, tagline, messaging framework, and style guide.
After branding was complete, we worked with the OOS to create a comprehensive, easy-to-understand website for the office. This involved thoughtful site architecture to bring together information that was previously spread out across multiple websites. Our team developed the site to align with the overall brand and provide information to diverse audiences in the most intuitive way possible.
San Mateo County Home for All Website
Established in July 2014, the Office of Sustainability (OOS) helps the County of San Mateo and its communities adapt to our changing environment by providing services and resources that inspire new ideas and solutions. The Affordable Housing Task Force is managed by OOS and was created to bring community leaders together in order to learn about the challenges created by the current housing market, develop a menu of solutions, and commit to bringing those solutions back to the community for further discussion and potential adoption.
As OOS continues to grow with new staff and programs, they sought to launch new websites for both the Task Force and OOS to reflect the creative, progressive, and community-minded culture of their office.
Circlepoint successfully developed and launched the Affordable Housing Task Force website in a tight timeframe. The website serves as a hub for community members, government leaders, and business owners to learn about the issues surrounding affordable housing in our region. Circlepoint led the development of the new website from the beginning, from design requirements and needs assessments, to creating and refining mockups, to copywriting and editing, to developing and launching the site. We incorporated the brand we had developed previously for the task force into the site, and created custom infographics to explain the main concepts presented on the site. The site also includes a toolkit section that provides a variety of resources and learning materials for interested stakeholders. An interactive map was developed for the site to showcase the work currently underway across the county to address affordable housing.
San Joaquin River Restoration Public Outreach and Web Design
After more than 18 years of litigation over water rights, the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Friant Water Users Authority reached a settlement with the coalition of environmental organizations that filed suit in 1988. The settlement calls for restoring the river and reestablishing a sustainable salmon population while at the same time developing and implementing a water management plan to reduce the impact to agricultural and urban water users. The settlement resulted in the San Joaquin River Restoration Program (SJRRP).
Public outreach and stakeholder involvement is a vital but challenging part of developing the SJRRP restoration and water management plan, with more than 4,000 interested parties to engage. Circlepoint supported the Bureau of Reclamation and five state and federal agencies with the public outreach and stakeholder involvement effort. The team designed and helped implement a multi-level strategy to engage policy leaders, technical specialists and cooperating agencies, landowners, and the general public.
Circlepoint helped the Bureau of Reclamation maintain a transparent process by preparing informational materials about various aspects of the SJRRP and maintaining a robust website. Our web team led a redesign of the project website www.restoresjr.net that included reorganizing the site structure for more efficient maintenance and navigation, updating the user interface with a more modern look and feel and implementing a user-friendly content management system for more streamlined content updates.
San Joaquin Regional Rail Service (Bay Area) Marketing and Outreach
The San Joaquin Rail Service has grown to the fifth busiest intercity passenger rail service in the nation, carrying about 1.2 million passengers a year with seven daily round trips (five between Oakland and Bakersfield and two between Sacramento and Bakersfield). Projections show even greater ridership in the years to come. This growth and a renewed interest in commuter rail service presents the opportunity to increase awareness of rail as a safe, comfortable, stress-free and sustainable way to get around.
Most current Amtrak riders take the train for leisure trips, as a way to avoid the hassle of taking freeways in order to relax and enjoy their travel experience. New marketing opportunities include attracting more business travelers to use the train. This is ideal for productivity – the train has free wifi, comfortable seats, and table space to get work done on the go. The trains also feature bike racks for those biking to and from the train.
Circlepoint is executing an integrated grassroots marketing campaign for the Bay Area portion of the project. Our work includes identifying and forging relationships with key stakeholders throughout this region, including major businesses, chambers of commerce, visitors bureaus, transit advocates, and local and regional elected officials. Through partnerships and presentations, we are building a coalition of supporters to increase ridership and revenue for the Amtrak San Joaquin in the most cost-effective ways possible. We also attend local events, assist with the creation of brochures and other collateral, and create graphics and messaging for the social media campaign for our region.
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge Seismic Safety Projects
The Bay Bridge Seismic Safety Project is the largest public works project in California history. In addition to making the bridge, which opened to the public in 1936, seismically sound, the newly redesigned East Span will transform the bridge into a global engineering icon. The Toll Bridge Program Oversight Committee, which oversees the seismic retrofit of toll bridges throughout California, approved an extensive Bay Bridge Communications Plan in 2005 to educate and inform the public and other stakeholders about all aspects of seismic construction, including the signature element of the new East Span, the Self-Anchored Suspension Span. Communication and outreach also focused on the shifting of traffic to the Yerba Buena Island Detour and the demolition and rebuilding of the West Approach to the bridge in San Francisco in its original footprint.
Circlepoint’s communications plan championed diverse strategies and methods for informing drivers and other target audiences about construction activities and major traffic impacts during the seismic retrofit of the bridge. The plan included operation of public information offices at the construction campus and Treasure Island, development of communications materials, community outreach, agency coordination, media relations, and documentation of construction. The team launched innovative online communications channels, including the Webby Award-winning BayBridge360, a website dedicated to delivering videos, photos and animations that give viewers a rare front-row seat of the astonishing construction that has to be seen to be believed. The project also became the first construction project ever featured on Google Earth. The team also created the Media Bar, an online repository of hi-res videos and photos for the media to use in their print, broadcast and online reporting.
[portfolio_slideshow exclude_featured=true]San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Wastewater Master Plan
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission manages the City’s combined sewer system to protect public health, provide reliable wastewater collection and treatment and a clean environment and neighborhoods. A combined sewer system collects and treats stormwater and street runoff in addition to wastewater from toilets, sinks, and utilities in homes and businesses. The Southeast Water Pollution Control Plant is one of two wastewater treatment plants that operate every day of the year, treating up to 85 million gallons per day (mgd) of wastewater, with a third treatment plant placed in service during rainstorms. The Commission recently developed its 30-year wastewater master plan.
Circlepoint managed the outreach efforts and public participation program as the Commission developed its plan. The public participation program involved extensive citywide outreach to raise broad awareness of the wastewater system and system-wide issues, including aging infrastructure, flooding, odors, combined sewer overflows, and limited biosolids disposal options. Many stakeholders expressed strong interest in exploring opportunities for low impact development as part of the master plan. Circlepoint prepared a public participation plan; completed citywide public opinion surveys and focus groups; developed a program identity and key messages; prepared and distributed numerous informational; organized and documented public workshops; and supported numerous community group, citizens advisory group and other briefings.
San Francisco Health Service System Outreach
The Health Service System administers health and wellness benefits for over 112,000 municipal employees, retirees and family members. HSS serves employees and retirees from four employers: the City & County of San Francisco, the San Francisco Unified School District, City College and the San Francisco Superior Court. As part of its service to the community, SFHSS hired Circlepoint to provide on-call services for outreach, graphic design, and web development.
Circlepoint worked closely with SFHSS to create web pages and engaging collateral for a variety of health projects, including the Diabetes Prevention Program, the Well-Being Assessment, the Colorful Choices Campaign, the Physical Activity Challenge, and the Well-Being@Work program. The Diabetes Prevention Program web pages were created to inform employees about this opportunity and how to participate in the DPP study, and provide educational links about diabetes. Circlepoint took information vetted by SFHSS staff and created six web pages that fit within the larger architecture of the agency’s website. The Well-Being Assessment web pages were created to promote the yearly well-being assessment and Daily Challenge program to encourage participation. For these pages, Circlepoint helped hone content and develop messaging, then used that content to create four web pages that were embedded in the website.
The Colorful Choices Campaign collateral and web pages were designed to encourage employees and retirees to participate in the program and eat more fruits and vegetables. Circlepoint created taglines and an overall look and feel for the campaign that was in line with the national Colorful Choices logo. From there, the team executed five web pages that explained the challenge and encouraged people to sign up. We also created collateral including posters, postcards, flyers, and emails for campaign champions to use when reaching out to staff.
The team executed similar web pages and collateral to promote the Physical Activity Challenge for the department. We also created collateral, web pages, and an interactive web calendar for the Open Enrollment and Flu events for October and November 2016.
Circlepoint also created branding, collateral, and web pages for a new Well-Being@Work program. We worked closely with the department to create the name and overall campaign look and feel for this project, based on their target audiences. We also drafted key messaging and taglines to use across all collateral and web pages. We then built out a full suite of collateral, including awards, brochures, a printed calendar, and flyers, and 10 web pages to house all the information for this new program.
Sacramento Southline Corridor (BlueLine2CRC) Light Rail Extension
To accommodate the growing population and transportation needs in South Sacramento from Meadowview Road to Cosumnes River College, the Sacramento Regional Transit District (RT) is extending the current South Line rail transit corridor. The project entailed environmental review and preliminary engineering for extension of the rail corridor from the current terminus at the Meadowview station to Consumes River College.
Circlepoint led the public engagement program, managing meaningful interaction among RT, decision-makers, stakeholders, and the general public throughout the environmental review process. The program was fully compliant with the NEPA and CEQA implementing regulations.
Circlepoint managed a comprehensive public outreach campaign to keep local residents updated on construction activities. We used a mix of traditional and non-traditional outreach techniques to reach the broadest audience possible. Tools included door-to-door and mailed notification materials, public meetings, open houses, groundbreaking events, one-on-one stakeholder briefings, newsletters, and a comprehensive website.
Redwood City Campus Communications Program, Stanford University
Project Overview
Stanford University (Stanford) began construction of the Redwood City Campus on December of 2016. The project is being built at the former Mid-Point Technology Park – a 35-acre site located south of the intersection of Woodside Road and Broadway Street, off Highway 101 and adjacent to the Stanford Medicine Outpatient Center at 450 Broadway Street. Demolition, site preparation, and construction of Phase I have been completed. The new administrative campus was officially opened for operation after a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on March 21, 2019.
Project Benefits and Unique Features
Phase I of the project consisted of four office buildings, outdoor dining areas and plazas, a childcare center, a parking garage, fitness center, and a central energy facility. Once completed, the Stanford Redwood City Campus will have up to 13 office buildings (10 currently proposed), containing approximately 1.5 million square feet for offices, medical clinics and research and development.
Key Accomplishments
Circlepoint implemented a communications program to increase awareness and educate community stakeholders and others about the project, construction schedule, upcoming activities, and impacts throughout construction. The program entailed the development of collateral materials, including construction advisories/updates for the project website; addressing inquiries and concerns via a project hotline and email; maintaining a stakeholder database; and holding construction outreach meetings, as appropriate.
Peninsula Clean Energy
Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE) is a community choice energy (CCE) program that purchases cleaner energy from renewable sources on behalf of its customers in San Mateo County. PCE began operations in October 2016 and offers many benefits to the community that it serves. The program benefits the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which also helps the state of California reach its short-term and long-term sustainable energy goals. Excess profits from PCE are reinvested in to the San Mateo County community in the form of energy efficiency projects and programs, which help boost the economy with the creation of new jobs. Consumers benefit through the power of choice, which allows for competitive and sometimes even lower electricity rates, and a more sustainable community.
PCE hired the Circlepoint team to create branding, graphic design, and web design development services in support of its launch. In addition to these services, Circlepoint developed a full marketing and communication plan to educate the public about the program. This included developing graphics and outreach materials, such as brochures, factsheets, flyers, PPT presentation templates, e-blast templates, and social media assets. We also created media ads, including multi-lingual ads, and coordinated the placement of these ads throughout the county. The development of the project messaging structure was dictated through focus group testing in four languages. We developed other assets for use across multiple mediums, like an animated Public Service Announcement to explain how PCE works and its benefits to the public, a photo and video shoot to gather testimonials from members of the community, and detailed tool kits for staff and other program supporters to use during grassroots outreach and marketing efforts. The campaign exceeded expectations on all fronts , including the program achieving an opt-out rate of 2% during the campaign’s run.
Orange County Feeder Relining Project Public Outreach
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan) relined the Second Lower Feeder, a critical pipeline in Southern California’s regional water system. This project was necessary to ensure Metropolitan can continue to provide reliable water supplies to its 26-member public agencies that serve 19 million people.
Although the water supply to business and residents was not affected, the above-ground construction work impacted local communities. Circlepoint was engaged by Metropolitan to provide public outreach services to keep residents and stakeholders informed and aware of construction impacts as well as educate them on the benefits of the project.
Circlepoint supported Metropolitan through a variety of communication and implementation strategies. The team developed a comprehensive public outreach implementation plan informed by construction phasing, milestones, anticipated closures, and other aspects of the project.
For consistency across project communications, Circlepoint created a project logo and brand guidelines. The brand created an identity for the (mostly underground) project that helped boost project awareness and recognition of construction communications.
Additionally, as part of project implementation, the Circlepoint team assisted Metropolitan with collateral development, advertising, social media content, and stakeholder engagement.
Oakland Recycles
Oakland has embarked on an ambitious zero-waste program to keep all recyclable and compostable material out of landfills; create a greener, cleaner community; and promote Oakland as an environmental leader and sustainable city. To this end, Oakland Recycles was formed as a collaboration among the City of Oakland, California Waste Solutions, and Waste Management of Alameda County, Inc.
Circlepoint was hired to design and launch the new OaklandRecycles.com website so that people could visit the site for updated program information. Additionally, to address the seasonal waste stream generated by the winter holiday season, Oakland Recycles enlisted Circlepoint’s support to raise awareness of core issues and motivate behavior change among Oakland Residents starting in November 2015 and again in November 2016. These awareness-building initiatives included two comprehensive holiday-themed campaigns.
Circlepoint is developing a campaign to reduce contamination of the recycling stream. Our work includes market research, animated videos, collateral, and a media buy campaign.
Oakland Central Branding, Marketing and Web Design
Circlepoint worked closely with the Downtown Oakland and Lake Merritt -Uptown District Associations to develop an authentic brand identity and accompanying website marketing program showcasing Downtown Oakland. The goal was to communicate the area’s unique character and spirit to unite the communities and attract prospective property owners, businesses, residents, and visitors. Oakland Central has become a lifestyle brand that reaches far beyond the city-drawn boundaries of the Uptown and Downtown districts.
Working closely with the districts, our team also developed branding, messages and materials to support Third Thursdays in Latham Square, the Old Town Holiday Ice Rink, Soiled Dove big top spectacular and many other events.
Napa Local Food Website and Graphic Design
The Napa County Agricultural Commissioner and the Napa Local Food Advisory Council (LFAC) identified the need to create a community forum and resource that advocates for a sustainable local food system in Napa County. By creating a centralized hub and forum for the LFAC, a diverse mix of stakeholder organizations, and the interested public, the Napa Local Food website fosters collaboration and communication about issues related to local and sustainable food systems and food security.
Circlepoint collaborated with the Napa County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office and the LFAC to develop and implement the Napa Local Food website, for visitors to learn and talk about overlapping issues related to local and sustainable food systems and food security. The website communicates the broader mission of the LFAC in a visually engaging way, through the use of clear and compelling photographs, graphics, videos, and interactive tools. By bringing people together, the Napa Local Food website helps grow resources and increase the awareness, effectiveness and reach of activities centered around local and sustainable food systems in Napa County.
Circlepoint provided graphic design, digital advertising and content marketing support to help promote awareness of the website, increase traffic, and build support for the local food movement.
Middle Plaza at 500 El Camino Real Construction Communications, Stanford University
Project Overview
Stanford University (Stanford) is constructing housing facilities at 500 El Camino Real in Menlo Park. The project will consist of 215 rental units, approximately 145,000 square feet of commercial offices, 10,000 square feet of retail, and a half-acre publicly accessible, but privately-owned plaza.
Stanford engaged Menlo Park residents from 2015 to 2017 to gather public feedback on desired features for the vacant lot between 350 and 550 El Camino Real. As a result, Stanford created a plan that suits the needs of local citizens and complies with the City’s approved zoning for the site. With easy access to underground parking, nearby transit options, and the project’s pedestrian pathways, the homes at Middle Plaza will provide connections to Menlo Park’s retail districts, jobs and schools in the community and beyond. Abatement and demolition activities begun in winter 2018 and the construction is anticipated to continue through winter 2022.
Key Accomplishments
Circlepoint has been contracted to lead the communication of construction activities to residents, businesses, and people who frequently travel along El Camino Real. Our approach will create a positive community relationship as we aim to mitigate the impacts that demolition, construction machinery, vehicles, materials, noise, dust, and other debris will have in the immediacies of the site. Services provided include the redesign and management of the project’s website, establishment and monitoring of the project’s help line and email, and production of collateral and public notices about construction updates.
Long Beach Water Department
Project Overview
The Long Beach Water Department (LBWD) provides water and sewer services to nearly half a million people in a 50 square mile area in Southern California. Long Beach is a diverse city with significant Spanish-speaking and Cambodian communities, as well as a strong small business community. LBWD wants to encourage customers to make water efficiency a way of life in Long Beach. Circlepoint was selected to provide strategic social media communications and graphic design support services with the goal to create engaging and educational content and encourage LBWD customers to make using water efficiently a natural part of everyday life.
Key Work
Circlepoint has developed a thorough social media strategy and is developing and deploying tailored content for LBWD’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter channels. Circlepoint also tracks the performance of LBWD’s social media and reports on efforts to gauge success and optimize the performance each month. As part of the overall strategy, Circlepoint also developed a holiday-themed “Rinse Responsibly” social media ad campaign to encourage proper disposal of fats, oil, and grease (F.O.G.) to maintain functioning sewers. Additionally, Circlepoint is providing as-needed graphic design support and recently developed a series of “water hacks” decals to be placed on bathroom mirrors on the CSU Long Beach campus to encourage water-efficient behavior among students and campus visitors.
Highway 4 Corridor Improvements Project
The Highway 4 corridor improvements along State Route 4 includes the highway, its interchanges, and affected local roadways from Pittsburg to Antioch, as well as the Sand Creek Interchange and Balfour Road projects near Brentwood. The project will also add 10 miles of BART track from Pittsburg Bay Point to a new Antioch station at Hillcrest Avenue. These projects represent an investment in the infrastructure of East Contra Costa County totaling over a billion dollars.
Circlepoint was brought onto the project in 2011 in order to create a unified communications plan and a single look and feel to the work being done along the Highway 4 corridor. The team worked with CCTA to create new project branding to symbolize the vision for the entire corridor, then used this brand to bring together graphics, text, and a design for a completely revamped project website. The website features easy-to-use navigation, is mobile-friendly, and provides real-time updates on project progress and traffic impacts. An interactive map enables visitors to view how each segment of the project fits within the context of the entire corridor and greater region. In order to keep this $1 billion project in the public’s eye as work progresses, the team also launched a Twitter feed and Facebook page for the project, and established protocols for regular updates in order to keep the public engaged and informed.
Circlepoint supported the Authority with media and public outreach, including the planning and facilitation of a community-focused ribbon-cutting event in July 2016, which garnered widespread attention from Bay Area Media outlets.
Long-term outreach activities included the creation of a dramatic time-lapse video at the construction site for the Antioch BART station, and the creation of Story through Images, a “website-within-a-website” designed to bring the project to life through photographs, videos, and compelling narrative in an engaging online magazine format.
Glendale Recycles
The City of Glendale is stepping up to sustainability by diverting as much waste from their landfills as possible. They knew the best way to achieve their reduction goals was to start a recycling program. The City hired Circlepoint to manage the community outreach and lead community engagement to drive the desired behavior change.
Circlepoint created a recognizable and memorable Glendale Recycles logo and brand system to create cohesion for all external communications. Using the new brand, we created a suite of communications materials including pre-campaign surveys, recycling tote bags, educational flyers, door hangers, and posters. Circlepoint also created an understandable and easy-to-digest one-page website for the campaign. The website links back to key information on the city website. Circlepoint also developed an interactive recycling quiz that encourages site visitors to share their results on social media as a way to increase social diffusion of recycling behaviors.
Circlepoint created a robust campaign that encourages reuse and recycling while reminding residents of their vital part in reducing waste within their community. The educational campaign is designed to help the city reach two major goals: 1. reduce the City’s contamination rate by 50% (to achieve a 10% overall contamination rate) and 2. decrease dependence on the city’s bulky item collection program.
Fourth Street Interceptor Ph. VI-A Design-Build, San José
Project Overview
The City of San José’s (City) sanitary sewer interceptor system is slated to complete the sixth phase of the multi-decade Fourth Major Interceptor program, improving the capacity of the City’s interceptor system and allow the future shutdown of one of the four interceptors for maintenance or repair purpose. The Fourth Street 84-inch Interceptor Project (Project) could also allow the future decommissioning of the partially deteriorated 60-inch brick sewer which was originally built in the 1890’s, located in a 20-foot easement that parallels North Fourth Street. With the project location along North Fourth Street between Commercial Street and Old Bayshore Road, north of U.S. Highway 101, the project will require extensive community outreach to ensure timely notice to the public and third parties regarding construction and installation activities, and address issues as they arise.
In coordination with the project team and the city, Circlepoint is responsible for developing the project’s community outreach strategy and ensuring that all construction-related issues or impacts involving businesses or community members are addressed and resolved in a timely manner.
To date, Circlepoint has:
- Crafted a Communications Plan to serve as the guiding document for all outreach activities and tools that were generated for this effort
- Established and monitored the project email address and information line, which serve as direct communication channels with the project team for community stakeholders’ daily questions, complaints, and comments.
- Created a stakeholder’s inquiry database, where all community exchanges are recorded for proper follow-up for each message received.
- Developed project website, https://fourthstreetsewer.sanjoseca.gov, where community members can find the latest project news and find out more about the project in detail.
- Prepared project mailers and business cards to make relevant community members aware of project activities and the communication channels at their disposal.
- Prepared construction updates that are posted on the project website and shared with community stakeholders to clarify project developments and impacts of construction.
- Conducted door-to-door outreach to distribute construction notices to local residents and businesses and gather their feedback manner.
Escondido Village Graduate Residences (EVGR) Construction Communications
The Escondido Village Graduate Residences (EVGR) project consists of four high-rise buildings that will provide 2,423 new beds to Stanford University (Stanford) graduate students. Construction started in the spring of 2017 and concluded in summer 2020, with student occupancy in fall 2020.
As construction occurred in a residential area, it was very important to keep the community informed about the sequence and schedule of necessary activities. Circlepoint provided timely communication of construction activities and public outreach to mitigate the impacts that excavation, machinery use, truck traffic, noise and dust could have on residents living adjacent to the project site, as well as nearby facilities and travelers.
Our approach provided streamlined resources for Stanford residents, faculty, students and staff, local schools, nearby residents and others to obtain project information, ask questions, and raise concerns. Our project website was constantly updated with the latest information about upcoming construction activities and potential impacts through notices, fact sheets and FAQs. Our information line and email allowed the project team to respond to inquiries and provide details about construction related matters in an efficient and timely manner. EVGR photos and videos are available in our gallery and YouTube channel.
Doyle Drive EIS/EIR and Presidio Parkway Public Outreach Program
Doyle Drive, the southern approach to the Golden Gate Bridge, serves over 100,000 vehicles each day and is a critical commute and recreational route to and from San Francisco. Doyle Drive was re-envisioned as the Presidio Parkway—a roadway tucked into the natural contours of the Presidio of San Francisco and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, one of the nation’s largest urban parks. The Presidio Parkway is a regional gateway between the iconic Golden Gate Bridge and the city of San Francisco.
Originally built in 1936, Doyle Drive had reached the end of its useful life. The replacement project achieved environmental approval in 2008 and construction began in 2009, with completion in 2016. The innovative design included extensive seismic, structural and traffic safety upgrades and enhanced the park experience for bicyclists, pedestrians and transit riders within the project area.
Circlepoint played a key role on the project during the environmental phase and design phase and provided public outreach during construction of the new roadway. Prior to the commencement of construction, Circlepoint rebranded the project to reflect the positive and unique aspects of the parkway design. The rebranding effort included a new logo, identity, and mascot. The Presidio Parkway project is an example of unprecedented local, state, and federal agency cooperation. The outreach team engaged the traveling public, neighborhood and commerce groups, contractors, local and state agencies, and others to ensure that all interested parties are informed of project activities. The communications campaign combined traditional outreach materials with technological tools such as state-of-the-art video, social media, and an interactive kiosk and website. The result was an informed public with a convenient, exciting suite of project information at their fingertips.
City of East Palo Alto General Plan Update
East Palo Alto is a diverse and economically disadvantaged city in the midst of Silicon Valley. In recent years, the City has seen substantial demographic shifts as well as increased levels of development on its fringes. Both City staff and political leaders recognized the need for a more comprehensive approach to improve the quality of life in the community and, in 2012, sought consultant assistance for a General Plan Update.
Circlepoint focused efforts on an exceptionally robust public outreach program as well as preparing a programmatic EIR. Public outreach for the General Plan Update set a goal to engage community members from every neighborhood and demographic, including non-native English speakers and new and long-term residents. Together with the city, the public outreach team designed a Community Engagement Plan that provideded a flexible but enduring structure for the outreach effort. Circlepoint also provided technical support to implement new media strategies for diverse community engagement.
Circlepoint prepared a programmatic EIR that will be developed in close coordination with the General Plan such that the EIR requires very minimal specific mitigation. By ensuring that the General Plan policies reflect best practices and sound science, the General Plan is a largely “self-mitigating” document.
Citrus Heights Water District (CHWD) Public Outreach and Education Program
Since 2008, Circlepoint has supported CHWD in developing creative and interesting ways to communicate with its customers about district news and water conservation initiatives. This includes managing a semi-annual newsletter, redesigning the website, initiating and coordinating the District’s social media presence, branding programs, and developing informational mailers.
Circlepoint developed messaging, provided creative content, and coordinated production of CHWD’s semi-annual “Waterline” newsletter, which is mailed to every household and business within the agency’s 64,000-person service area. Content included updates on regional and statewide water policies, information on capital improvement projects and rate changes, tips for conserving water, interviews with CHWD staff and stories on community events.
Circlepoint helped CHWD modernize its online communications by redesigning the agency’s website using a WordPress platform, resulting in a streamlined visual appearance and user experience. Our team continues to provide maintenance, content management, and functionality updates for this website.
Additionally, Circlepoint launched CHWD’s Facebook account and continues to provide maintenance and guidance on responses to inquiries.
Circlepoint is also experienced in statutory notification requirements for public agencies. The team assisted CHWD with the development of a multi-page mailer about proposed rate increases that met Proposition 218 requirements. To further the reach of this messaging, Circlepoint also created a web page with content specific to the proposed rate adjustments.
Caltrain Modernization Marketing and Communications
Caltrain Electrification Program Marketing and Communications
Circlepoint partnered with Caltrain to deliver a comprehensive marketing and communications program for the Caltrain Electrification Program. Collaborating closely with Caltrain staff, we conducted visioning, research, and a rebranding initiative (called Caltrain Modernization or CalMod) for the Electrification Program and its subprograms. This included crafting a compelling brand story, developing targeted messaging, creating an overarching brand architecture, and establishing brand guidelines.
To keep the public informed and engaged, Circlepoint designed and managed a modern, user-friendly website (www.CalMod.org), serving as the primary hub for project updates and information. We also executed several outreach campaigns, including:
- Rider Appreciation
- Did You Know
- Electrification Safety
- Virtual Reality
Throughout the project, we provided a range of services, including strategic communications, graphic design, social media management, web design, outreach, and event planning and implementation. Our team developed high-quality materials such as fact sheets, newsletters, postcards, signage, infographics, social media graphics, and promotional items to enhance outreach efforts.
As the project approached completion, Circlepoint supported key initiatives to engage the community and educate the public, including:
- School Outreach Campaign: Educating students on safety around the new electric trains and promoting discounted youth fares.
- Public Tours: Hosting three station tours (Diridon, San Francisco, and San Carlos), offering the first opportunity to view and explore the new electric trains. These events featured food trucks, Caltrain-branded giveaways, safety information, and highlights of the rider benefits: faster, quieter, greener, and more frequent service. Each event was attended by over 4,000 enthusiastic community members who were grateful for the opportunity to experience the trains in person.
- Electric Service Launch Events: Organizing VIP and public celebrations. The VIP event celebrated key stakeholders and elected officials for project support and commenced with their first electric train ride. The public festivities included a two-day corridor-wide celebration with major events at the Palo Alto and San Mateo stations, drawing over 7,000 attendees. Activities featured community booths, local entertainment, food trucks, Caltrain-branded giveaways, and raffle prizes along with free train rides all weekend!
The electrified Caltrain service officially launched on September 21, 2024, marking a historic milestone. Ridership has surged on both weekdays and weekends, with passengers enjoying faster, quieter, and more environmentally friendly service. This transformative project underscores the importance of collaborative, community-focused, purpose-driven communication and engagement strategies.
Caldecott Fourth Bore Project Public Outreach and Communications
Circlepoint was involved with the Caldecott Fourth Bore Project for over a decade, beginning with the early planning phase. This high-profile project required extensive communications and outreach by Circlepoint, an effort that began with the development and implementation of a comprehensive communications plan and the launch of a robust, stand-alone project website.
Circlepoint maintained a full-time, on-site Public Information Office (PIO) throughout construction. Outreach efforts explained the geological complexities of excavating a tunnel through the East Bay Hills and provided hundreds of presentations throughout construction. The team generated media coverage on many aspects of the project; developed factsheets and “eblasts” for transmittal to elected officials, project neighbors, the media and other key stakeholders; developed a social media strategy to leverage existing tools to further broaden communications; and assisted in a unique design competition engaging local school children.
Bring Your Own Sac – City of Sacramento Plastic Bag Ban Ordinance
On March 31, 2015, the City of Sacramento unanimously approved the single-use plastic bag ordinance. The ordinance intent is to reduce litter and non-compostable materials in landfills, making Sacramento a cleaner, more sustainable city. As of January 1, 2016, single-use plastic bags are no longer provided at many businesses in Sacramento.
To prepare local retailers and shoppers for this change, the City of Sacramento Department of Public Works, Recycling and Solid Waste Division, hired Circlepoint to develop a campaign brand, community engagement strategy, and accompanying marketing and advertising materials. The goal of the campaign was to motivate behavior change to reduce the use of single-use plastic bags and encourage the use of reusable bags.
The main objectives of the campaign were to:
- Prepare local retailers for the ban, provide them with easy-to-use resources and motivate them to comply with the ban requirements.
- Prepare local shoppers for the ban, motivate them to use reusable bags and raise awareness about the benefits of a more sustainable lifestyle.
The client’s vision was to make it easy for retailers and shoppers to adapt their behavior to align with more sustainable practices, and to inspire local civic pride about being part of a greener, cleaner City of Sacramento.
A variety of interactive, social, digital, and print materials were developed to promote awareness and compliance of the ordinance. Collaborating closely with the client, Circlepoint developed campaign branding, messaging and creative assets to resonate with target audiences and appeal to their motivations. We chose a specific mix of in-person, print, interactive and social channels based on analysis of our target audiences and a deep understanding of their motivations, barriers and preferred channels.
Of the 350+ local retailers affected by the ban, we were able to connect face to-face with over 100 local retailers and distribute toolkits to help them prepare. This proactive effort contributed greatly s toward building trust with retailers and overcoming misconceptions. Within one month of the ordinance taking effect, over 90% of the local retailers were in compliance with ordinance requirements. Want to see more project stats? Download the project summary report here.
Alameda CTC Interchange Improvement Projects
The Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC), in cooperation with Caltrans and local project partners, is proposing major interchange improvements throughout the county.
The purpose of these projects is to improve traffic operations and safety at the respective interchanges by improving accessibility, enhancing mobility, and providing modernized bicycle and pedestrian connections. Circlepoint is supporting Alameda CTC and project partners with environmental review and documentation services as well as strategic communications and stakeholder engagement for all three interchange improvement projects.
For the I-80/Ashby Avenue (SR-13) project, Circlepoint is providing a streamlined environmental process to help Alameda CTC achieve its goal of obtaining an approved project report and environmental document that is certifiable by Caltrans and endorsed by the cities of Berkeley and Emeryville, as well as the community. We are implementing two basic phases: 1) alternative refinement and stakeholder engagement and 2) public outreach and environmental clearance. The environmental clearance document will be a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) for CEQA and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for NEPA. In concert with the environmental documentation process, we developed and are currently implementing comprehensive public outreach activities.
For the I-880 projects (Winton Avenue/A Street and Whipple Road/Industrial Parkway) Circlepoint is leading the preliminary environmental review of the initial project designs (PEAR) and will manage the CEQA and NEPA environmental review processes, including the preparation of project purpose and need, risk assessment, and completion of environmental documentation requirements (IS/EA). Additionally, we developed and are now implementing a comprehensive communications and stakeholder engagement plan for each project. Through these plans, we’ve identified key target audiences, communications forums, and tools and strategies that can be leveraged to engage a broad cross-section of the stakeholders and communities in and around the project areas.
