Brooklyn Community Board 14 announced in an article on their website today that they are now using SeeClickFix in order to “make it easy for anyone to report issues and problems to us and make it easier for us and other city agencies to respond, and act.” Board 14, one of the eighteen local units within Brooklyn, NY, is comprised of Flatbush, Midwood, and parts of Kensington. In the article, members of Board 14 state, “We wish to make resolving problems easier, make the process more transparent and empower our residents to improve the community.” Through these goals, Brooklyn Community Board 14 joins the ever-increasing number of communities looking to facilitate communications with their citizens.

This is the second dog-related SeeClickFix issue in a week to end up in the press (though I suppose it wasn't clear that the first was a dog issue until months after it was reported).

A group of volunteers used SeeClickFix to help organize a get-together last Saturday in Fair Haven's Chatham Square Park. Things got started 9 days ago when DEZ reported that some of the trees planted by URI and the city had been torn apart by pit bulls being trained to fight other dogs.

David Zakur, who organized the tree planting, was quoted in the New Haven Register: "I now have positive ID that people have seen pit bulls hanging off the limbs and tied to the trees...You can see the bite marks in the tree.”

Commenters on the SeeClickFix issue's page and on the Register's article expressed outrage, both towards the abhorrent practice of dogfighting and the callous disregard for the city's newly planted trees.

Volunteers gathered in Chatham Square Park to replace the tree that was destroyed and install wire fencing to protect some of the others. Kudos to those who were willing to spend their Saturday morning working to make our community a better place!

On another note, we're starting to notice a trend here...it seems that the communities that take care of their dogs take care of their public spaces as well. Is this a correlation, or mere coincidence?

Out in the "affluent high-tech suburb" of Alpharetta, a man named Lee has things to say. Alpharetta is mostly a city of young transplants; it was named the #1 "reloville" in America in 2009 by Forbes magazine. On his blog, Roots in Alpharetta, Lee writes about settling himself and his family down in this young, dynamic Georgia city.

He recently wrote a post about Alpharetta's use of SeeClickFix that made us pretty happy to read. As an engaged citizen and a part of our nation's IT workforce, it's clear that he understands the value of SeeClickFix. I thought this last part was especially well-put:

"...I think the City of Alpharetta deserves a lot of praise. In this current political climate, citizens are demanding a lot out of government. Unfortunately that usually manifests itself in the form of ugly campaigns and fighting. What I think citizens truly want is open, transparent and responsive government, not politics."

In August 2009, a user calling themselves "Sick of it" reported an issue in South Philadelphia on SeeClickFix:

"There is an horrible stench coming from this house that is so bad the neighbors a half block in any direction can no longer open their windows. And there's a rat problem now, too. What is the smell? Who knows? Cats/dogs/death?"

11 months, two acknowledgments, and dozens of comments later, we finally have our answer: chihuahuas.The precise number of chihuahuas involved has yet to be determined. Philly.com is reporting 85, but ABC news has the tally at over 100 chihuahuas removed from the small rowhouse on 739 Earp St. by the PSPCA.

According to an article about the incident on philly.com, the PSPCA had sent an investigator to the home earlier this year, but the owner barred the investigator from entering the home. The stench emanating from the home - horrible though it was - was not enough by itself to obtain a search warrant.

Despite reports that neighbors were reluctant to contact the authorities out of fear of reprisals from the dog-hoarder's family, commenters on the SeeClickFix thread note that there were "There have been at least 50 calls to ACT, the ASCPA, PETA, and the Humane Society about this home." Ultimately, a courageous SeeClickFixer named Leila was the one who gave Philadelphia Police the eyewitness account they needed in order to obtain a warrant - as she publicly acknowledges on the SeeClickFix issue's page.

The day after she called in, the police came. This is how one fixer described what they found: "You should have seen some of these animals that were pulled out; hairless, overgrown nails, @#$% encrusted in their paws, and it looked like a couple were blind. They had been living in 2.5 feet of their own feces."The dogs are currently in the care of Animal Control officers, who are planning to request a psychological evaluation of the woman from whom they were taken in an effort to get her medical help. The house she formerly occupied has been declared "unfit for human habitation" by the Department of Licenses and Inspections.

Few questions seem to generate heated debate on SeeClickFix as consistently as whether or not to change a busy intersection into a roundabout. In places as diverse as Ann Arbor, MI, Chattanooga,TN, and Santa Fe, NM fixers have signed on to express their approval or disapproval of turning an old-fashioned, cornered intersection into a new-fangled no-angles roundabout.

One place where arguments for / against a roundabout are circulating particularly quickly is in Ballston Spa, NY. A post on the local blog at timeunion.com is continuing the debate from SeeClickFix on the local newspaper's forum. Any guesses as to the what the first two commenters had to say? I'll give you a hint: their conclusions were polar opposites.

About a month ago vino5150 reported this issue at SeeClickFix:

"With the warm weather finally here, Milton St. has once again become a "hot spot" for after dark activities. My wife and I have caught numerous cars parked on the side of the street with young people having sex, smoking dope or some other recreational drugs, littering. We've found "chopped' up cars in the woods. Last summer my wife and I were assaulted confronting a group of a young people urinating in the soccer field across from our house. My neighbor just recently caught 4 latino soccer players urinating at the dead end near his house. There are used condoms in the street and little Ziplock bags scattered all over the road which leads me to believe that there is drug use going on. When I informed the police, they stated that they are aware of Milton St. being a problem area. If this is the case, is it too much of an issue to have a patrol car make a random drive down Milton St. at random hours of the night? I work late and when I return home, I've seen numerous cars parked on the side of the street with people in them doing God knows what. The park is technically closed after 8PM according to the signs posted on the streets. After last summer's ordeal of my wife and I being sucker punched in the face by 2 scumbags, I would like to think that a simple random nightly drive by would be the easiest thing that someone can do to help the residents out and ensure a feeling of safety. Summer is here and schools will be out soon. More kids out after dark equals more problems for area residents/home owners."

Today, vino5150 said this,

"GREAT JOB! This summer has got to be one of the best in years. Again a big thank you to Lt. Hoffman and his crew. Never looked better!" 

Great job for reporting the issue and hats off to the New Haven Police Department for monitoring SeeClickFix and getting this neighborhood cleaned up!

You pull up to a red light and an intersection and one of red lights is out. Immediately you think, "I need to report this to my city with SeeClickFix!" You whip out your phone and fire up the SeeClickFix App. You take your picture and, uh oh...the light just turned green.

No worries! When you snap a photo using the SeeClickFix app, we automatically save the picture and your location. So when you finally reach your destination you can finish the report.  Here's how:

They are listed in chronological order to make it easy.  Click on your report and add that important information. This lets your local government know so they can get a crew out there in a jiffy!  Don't forget to share the issue with your friends so they can help you get that light fixed!

Q&A: Have you used the incomplete report feature?
           Are there other features you would like to see on our mobile apps?

Flooding in New Haven continued to worsen. That is until Bill, a New Haven resident, decided to report the issue on the SeeClickFix website: “We’ve lived in this area for about 20 years and each year it takes longer and longer for the street to dry out after flooding. […] The standing water interrupts traffic and makes the pot holes get worse.”

A few suggested cleaning the drains as a solution. Joe, a local resident, noticed that “the stream below is running smoothly [….] This would mean that the problem is clogged drains on the street which should be a super easy fix.”

After a couple months of seemingly unanswered requests, Alderwoman M. O’Sullivan-Best addressed the citizens on the SeeClickFix site. Apparently the fix had not been as simple as New Haven residents first imagined, “This item required a second RFP because of the contaminated soil on the site. It has been awarded and we can only hope that the contractor begins work shortly.”

And after heavy rainfall over the last couple days, Bill closed the issue on SeeClickFix, observing that; “the road is the driest I’ve ever seen in years now (after last night’s heavy rain).”

From July 22-25, Ben will be joining other leaders form the government and social media worlds at the Netroots Nation convention.

Here's the word from their website:

The fifth annual gathering of the Netroots will be held July 22–25 at the Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Netroots Nation 2010 will include panels led by national and international experts; identity, issue and regional caucuses; prominent political, issue and policy-oriented speakers; a progressive film screening series; and the most concentrated gathering of progressive bloggers to date.

Ben will be speaking at the "Getting to We.Gov: How To Leverage the Open Government Movement For Social Change" panel on Friday afternoon. Click here to learn more about the panel and the panelists, and to see Ben's silliest event-bio to date.

A few years ago I reported graffiti on an underpass in Hamden, CT along a bike trail. Aside from the fact that paint did not add any cultural value to the wall it included the words "nigger" and "homo". See SCF issue: http://blogspot.seeclickfix.com/issues/1270 After two years that issue is still open.

Hamden, like many cities, is having trouble keeping up with the number of things that need to be fixed in tough budget times. As reported here Mayor Scott Jackson decided to take matters into his own hands and repair some long unaddressed graffiti himself with money from his own pocket.

I personally feel that its this kind of leadership that not only gets you reelected but also encourages citizens to take the action of governance into their own hands. To provide for yourself, not just because you can not be provided for, but because it feels good to be part of the improvement that you see around you. Imagine if every citizen felt that buying paint to cover up graffiti in their hood was their civic duty as equally as being concerned about it. We'd have stronger communities that were less expensive to operate and much stronger communities.

Until reading this story I had never seen any real obstacles to the Mayor's actions except for a perception of who's responsibility the fixing was.

I was wrong. There is a Union Grievance being filed against the Mayor.

A town employee, who told the Register he did not want his name published, said he was “devastated to hear that officials were painting over graffiti because it’s against the union contract.”

Devastated? UGH!!!

I think this incident raises questions about whether the distribution of provision of services to citizens will be blocked by those looking to keep paid work for themselves. Is it right that we employ people with tax dollars to do services that we can not afford with tax dollars but can afford with our own hands?

Its my understanding that volunteers providing city services is fine, but what if a city employee wants to lead by volunteering?

IMHO: If unions want to continue to contribute to strong communities they are going to have to give a little

For over two years now, this issue has been garnering attention and generating debate on SeeClickFix. Now, some active SeeClickFixers have decided that the time has come to take a stand and protest months of inaction! The following "informal press release by a concerned citizen," written by Juli Stupakevich, was posted to the issue yesterday afternoon:

Concerning the Tomlinson Bridge Railroad crossing, I've proposed a protest in regards to the lack of progress on this intensely dangerous situation.

Despite:
-numerous documented injuries spanning two years (some of them severe, even by experienced cyclists, i.e. a broken femur)
-being the only crossing between East Haven and New Haven, making it a highly-travelled route by cyclists
-being listed on the Official Bike Route of New Haven
-being listed on the East Coast Greenway Trail Route
-acknowledgement of the severity of the problem by the City of New Haven's Traffic and Parking Dept. and City Engineer

The only proposed solution by the P&W Railroad is to post signs warning cyclists of the presence of the tracks. This is an unacceptable solution.

We demand:
-speedy installation of flange way fillers for a short term solution before another person is needlessly injured
-consideration of bike lanes and narrowed travel lanes for a long term solution to connect New Haven to East Haven

TWO EVENTS ARE PLANNED:
Monday July 12th at 5:30 pm
Tuesday July 13th at 5:00 pm (for those who will be absent due to the regularly scheduled Elm City Cycling Meeting at City Hall)

Round two of the Tomlinson Bridge Protest goes down tonight, and we would love to see the crossing jam-packed with fixers calling for a change! For more information about the issue and the protest, check out the New Haven Independent's coverage of what happened yesterday.

  
The Rome Observer's Bruce Entelisano, interviewed Rome's Public Works Commissioner Frank Tallarino.  


Rome DPW leader responds to Rome Observer website service


According to the the interview, Tallarino is looking forward to using SeeClickFix to fill a gap in the city's ability to receive issue reports from citizens.  


Rome is a historical city of thirty-four thousand and marks the spot where construction began on the Erie Canal.


The small city has received numerous awards over the years.  


2007 - Rome-Utica named one of the top 25 best places to live, Country Home 2007 Best Green Places
2006 - Rome Bark Park dog park ranked 4th in the Nation
2005 - Farmers Insurance Group's 18th Most Secure City
2005 - 7th Best Golf City in America as reported by Golf Digest
2004 - #21 Inc. Magazine's Top 25 Places to do Business in America
2004 - Treecity USA - Governor George Pataki - Arbor Day
2002 - All America City Finalist
2002 - New York State Quality Community

   The picturesque city of SouthLake, Texas is no stranger to getting their fix on.  This city of twenty thousand boasts a ninety-three percent citizen rating on park inspections.  During Funding Year 2009, SouthLake's Community Services Division logged almost twelve thousand hours of volunteer time.  That translates into over a quarter million dollars in savings for the city.

Ben Thatcher, Assistant City Manager, was quick to outline a couple strengths of the SeeClickFix platform.

"We were attracted to the simplicity and transparency of it.  This is another arrow in our quiver as far as what our philosphy is." Thatcher added.


Like SouthLake, communities are seeking to find mobile ways to connect with their citizens. More and more are turning to SeeClickFix Plus for their first mobile app.  Features of SeeClickFix Plus includes:

• Custom iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows Mobile and app for you city.
• Instantly Add or Remove Service Request Categories and Additional Questions.
• Dashboard for tracking and acknowledging issues.
• Your apps and reporting channels running within 1 hour of sign-up.

If you are interested in adding SeeClickFix Plus or any of the SeeClickFix products to your arsenal, please contact us today!

An issue in New Haven, Connecticut is being tracked by citizens on SeeClickFix tonight.   As of the time of this posting, almost 100 people had voted on this issue and many had left comments indicating they too have discolored water.

The New Haven Independent is reporting on the issue and published the statement by the local water company.



The water is being reported as safe to drink but some commenters are stating they will "definitely not drink it". - digslild

Mark, the resident SeeClickFix guru,  posted a good layman explanation of the situation.

"Higher-than-normal water demands (which is what happens when a water main is broken or a fire hydrant is opened too quickly) increase the velocity of the water to a rate of flow that causes harmless material in the pipeline, such as rust and sediment, to break free."

Sid Burgess was walking beside the neighborhood creek with his daughter when he noticed something was amiss: a foul stench, and what appeared to be a broken sewage pipe spewing its contents into the stream. Naturally, his first instinct was to pull out his phone and report the issue through SeeClickFix.

In response, not only did Oklahoma City send out a team to inspect the leaky pipe and start running tests on its smelly discharge on the spot (see the pic below), Fox 25 KOKH-TV sent out a reporter to see what was going on and how SeeClickFix was helping out.


You can check out the video of their segment on Fox 25's website. Reporter Phil Cross explains the basics of the reporting process, and Spokeswoman Kristy Yager tells us that SeeClickfix "really does empower Oklahoma City citizens to want to beautify Oklahoma City, and that's what we're trying to do here at City Hall."


"Applications like this are perfect for the City of Oklahoma City," she goes on. Citizens often notice public-space issues before city inspectors, and SeeClickFix enables the City Government to be much more well-informed about the condition of Oklahoma City's infrastructure.

Sid wraps things up with this gem of a quote: "This kind of pushes us to be more pro-active. It makes it easy enough that there's not a good excuse not to."