Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Is there a flag that's worse for wear in your park? Old Glory doesn't have to look like it just went through the Battle of Fort McHenry. Contact the city to have it replaced.
I'm in Forest Hill's Parkman Park nearly every day. Recently I noticed the U.S. flag in the park was looking like British men o'war had spent all night doing target practice on it. The top half of the flag, along the lanyard holding it up, was completely torn off. Fortunately, getting a new flag was simple. I just made a request through the city's Citizens Connect app. Within days, a new flag was flying in its place. Thanks, City of Boston! So if you see a bedraggled flag that needs replacing, just use the Citizens Connect app to report it or call the Mayor's Hotline at 617-635-4500. Are there any flags in Charlestown that need to be fixed up?
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
With 20 percent of city service requests coming from residents' smart phones, the mobile app is changing the way residents communicate with local government.
From graffiti to potholes to broken street lights, with more than 20 percent of city service requests now being reported through Boston's Citizens Connect, Boston's Chief Information Officer Bill Oates deemed the mobile app a success. "Citizens Connect opened the door to the city that showed us what we can do with technology, and in very innovative ways," he said in an interview with Techtarget.com. The concept of allowing residents to communicate with local government via their smart phones is now being integrated in many different departments. "So what we did with Citizens Connect, in connecting [residents] with their basic services, we now do in lots of places: in the education space, in the administration and finance space, in public …
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Citizens Connect Live has launched -- and now you can also chat live on the web with a City Hall employee.
Today is Wednesday, Nov. 30. Here are five things you need to know today. 1. Want to talk to someone at City Hall about a municipal service? You can call them. You can email them. And now, you can also chat live with the. Citizens Connect Live is... live, which means constituents can now get a hold of the Mayor's Hotline through a chat window on the city's website. Just click the "Live--Chat Now" button at www.cityofboston.gov. 2. Tryouts for the CYO basketball team (for 7th and 8th grade boys) are scheduled for this Saturday at the Community Center. Participation is 100 percent free. Want more details? Here you go. 3. Do you feel safe on the MBTA? According to a new report, the number of crimes on trains and subways has spiked. Weigh in …
Thursday, August 11, 2011
It's summertime in Boston. Here are some of the things I love right now about living in the city.
Living in the city can often lead to feelings of anxiety, stress, and grumpiness, especially during the dog days of August. Therefore, I thought I’d be the optimist for once and mention several of the things that are making me happy right now (well, mostly), courtesy of Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the good people at City Hall. Food trucks – There are now fifteen food trucks located around the city. Food trucks serve hot, tasty food similar in quality to what you'd find at any two/three-star restaurant in Boston; in other words, these are definitely not glorified ice cream trucks. I've seen five or six of the trucks located around the city and they often seem to gather a good-sized crowd. The Kick-*ss Cupcakes truck was on Boylston …
WD
6:39 am on Friday, August 12, 2011
Hubway = good. No Hubway in Charlestown = payback for a vocal minority complaining about bike lanes more ›