Parking or Pothole Problem? Forest Park Has an App for That

Forget to get an overnight parking pass? Want to query a commissioner about what happened at last week's meeting?

All that—and more—is at your fingertips. If you have an iPad, an iPhone or an iPod Touch, that is.

Earlier this year the village rolled out the official Village of Forest Park App for anyone with an Apple device. It's downloadable from iTunes—and it's free.

From a drop-down menu, anyone can contact commissioners or send info to officials about concerns. Users can reach out to specific departments for help with anything from potholes to water main breaks.

And residents can also register guests' cars for overnight street parking to avoid a morning greeting from the village in the form of a ticket.

Plus, recent news and Twitter feeds can supply Forest Park aficionados with news updates right to their Apple devices.

How's it working so far? Users are thrilled, Village Administrator Timothy Gillian said.

"They love that we've done it; they love that it's free. It's a valuable tool," he said.

Most of the fans posting comments on the App Store preview page raved about the ability to get an overnight parking pass.

According to the iTunes preview page, GnatX writes that the drop-down menu is handy for a variety of uses.

"It's fantastic they've thought of trying something new and modern like creating an app like this," that user wrote. "I hope more people download, use and RATE!"

On the same page, Iscah727 writes that all the "important phone numbers are listed. Non-emergency numbers are provided for the police department and the fire deptartment. This app should prove useful."

At some point, a similar app will be developed for Android devices, Gillian said.