There‘s a new way for Bellingham residents to ask for pothole filling, other quick fixes
Need a pothole filled? Tree branch hiding a stop sign? Streetlight out?
Now anyone can report issues like these on a mobile phone or PC, without having to figure out which Bellingham city department to call.
A mobile app called SeeClickFix and a companion page at the city’s website is now operational after a “soft” launch last month.
“It’s easy to take a picture, send a message and watch things get taken care of,” said Caleb Barber, asset manager in the Public Works Department.
“We want to hear from citizens who don’t call,” Barber told members of the city’s Public Works and Natural Resources Committee during a presentation Monday, Feb. 23.
“I grew up here, I’ve lived here for nearly 40 years, I’ve never called the city for anything in my life but I have used SeeClickFix,” he said.
Several Bellingham residents have figured out how to use the service.
“Dangerously broken heavily trafficked sidewalk — multiple obstructions posing trip hazards,” one person reported Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 23.
Another warned last week that a car hit a street light on Nevada Street and now the pole was leaning.
“Thank you for this request,” someone at the city replied. “We dispatched a crew and determined the pole will need to be replaced. We’ve created a work order to accomplish this.”
SeeClickFix is designed for residents to report minor troubles with infrastructure or simple requests for service.
Public Works Department officials received more than 200,000 such requests via phone, email and in person from 2019 to 2020, according to a memo on the software service.
The service will cost the city $12,500 annually.
Serious issues such as a broken water main or sewage spilling into a street should be reported to Public Works at 360-778-7700.
SeeClickFix is used in more than 25,000 communities across the U.S., including Mercer Island, Shoreline and Woodinville in Washington state.
Users can create an account or report the issue anonymously and then track its progress on the SeeClickFIx page.
City officials will monitor service requests to see if a more serious problem exists, Barber said.
Offensive or inappropriate content will be flagged and removed, he said.
“You’ll get email updates, as we respond to things, and you’ll be able to follow other issues and really engage with the software if you create an account,” Barber said.
“We want the public to tell us where problems are. It’ll make us more efficient and effective,” he said.
This story was originally published February 24, 2021 at 10:00 AM.
