Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 8/16/2023
LONGMEADOW — There is a new tool to help in Longmeadow’s efforts to maintain transparency with residents. The town has launched the LongmeadowMA mobile app to give residents more options in how they receive information.
The app is “directly integrated with our website,” said Town Manager Lyn Simmons.
When the app is opened, the screen displays a series of tiles, each with a link to an area of the website residents use most, such as the school department, DPW, Parks and Recreation, meeting schedules and trash collection.
The app was created by CivicPlus, the company that designed and hosts the town’s website, which Simmons said was recently “refreshed.”
It works on all internet-connected mobile devices and can be downloaded from the Google Play Store or the App Store on Apple products by searching “LongmeadowMA.”
The idea for the app was first brought to Simmons about a year ago when Dan Zwirko joined the Select Board.
She said that while he was campaigning for the position, people expressed a desire for an easier way to access information about what was happening in town.
Simmons said the town is encouraging people to subscribe to notifications on the app. By clicking the “stay connected” links in the app, she said residents could receive alerts when the trash schedule is changed for holidays or other disruptions.
People could also be alerted to when meetings are taking place. The idea is to make information easy to obtain without having to navigate through various pages of the website to find it.
In emergencies, the town will continue to use the Code Red alert system to inform residents.
Funding from the American Rescue Plan Act was used to cover the cost of designing the app and the fee for the first year of being hosted by CivicPlus. Moving forward, the town will incorporate roughly $3,000 in maintenance fees into the annual budget.
There have been more than 275 downloads in the three weeks since the app went live.
Simmons said, “We’re always looking for ways to communicate with residents and keep people informed.”
For more information on the app, visit www.longmeadowma.gov/MobileApp.