Region 9

Region 9 is a council, set up by the State of West Virginia, comprised of representatives from Jefferson, Berkeley, and Morgan Counties and the municipalities of Berkeley Springs (Bath), Bolivar, Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Hedgesville, Martinsburg, Paw Paw, Ranson, and Shepherdstown. The council exists to assist local governments in resolving their common problems; engage in area-wide comprehensive and functional planning; identify, apply for, and administer certain federal and state grants; and provide a regional focus in regard to multiple programs undertaken on an area-wide basis. In an effort to improve information dissemination and communications, Region 9 engaged Delta to design and implement a new Web site for the region.

Delta worked with the Region 9 stakeholders to envision an overall Web site design and functionality that suited their budget and incorporated a branded identity for Region 9 while building on the existing functionality, projects, and branding efforts.

Kick-off meetings were conducted that allowed Delta and the stakeholders to envision and plan for Region 9’s objectives and goals, identify desired system functionality, and review comparable Web site designs and Region 9 branding efforts and materials. As part of the analysis and design, a Web storyboard and navigation outline was created. Web site specifications were reviewed with the client, and the design and functionality was modified as appropriate to both the audience and the client.

A user-friendly content management system (CMS) was incorporated into the redesign plan. In addition, the Region 9 staff was provided training and knowledge transfer of the new CMS that allows the staff to update and manage the content of the Web site easily and quickly.

The final step was to implement the new Web site on Region 9’s environment. A collaborated effort between Delta and the information technology support for Region 9 ensured a successful installation of the new Web site and the CMS.

Overall, the new Web site established a presence for the region and built a strong foundation that allows for future enhancements and additional functionality.