About a year ago I was reading about a mobile app in a neighboring city that allowed people to report potholes. I thought – “Why not have a mobile app that allowed people to communicate completely with the City?” I spoke with our Communications Director (Brett Channing) and we set off on a year-long journey to create the most comprehensive mobile app among any civic organization. Mayor Pro Tem Basile joined me as did Channing’s team (Jonathan Voltzke and Skylar Hunter) and Carlo Tomaino who seems to be everywhere.
It hasn’t been an easy journey. Bugs, bugs, and more bugs. Even as we introduce it, I can find some more bugs, so I suspect it will be some time before it is operating 100%.
Putting that aside, you can now have all of the City’s resources at the touch of a finger, with the new “MyLakeForest” smartphone app. The mobile app launched officially November 1. You will be able to
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- Find a Place
- Register for a class
- Report a problem
- View meeting agendas
- Get answers to common questions
- Check the city’s calendar
- Contact virtually anyone
- Link seamlessly to the city’s “shop and Dine” mobile app
The app is available in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. While the Lake Forest website has long had the “Ask Lake Forest” issue-reporting system, the mobile app will make reporting issues or asking questions even easier. Residents who have a question or spot an issue will be able to take a photo with their smartphone and submit the picture directly to the City.
The new system also allows users to create a password-protected account for enhanced security.
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This is just one more in a string on innovations introduced this year that put Lake Forest at the forefront of technology and communications.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Jim Gardner is on the City Council for Lake Forest where he serves as Mayor. You can check him out on LinkedIn and/or Facebook and you can share your thoughts about the City at Lake Forest Town Square on Facebook His comments are not meant to reflect official City Policy.
Dr. Gardner has office hours every Tuesday from 4 pm to 6 pm at the City Hall. In addition, he holds a town hall meeting every quarter. The next meeting will be in January.
