Bloomfield Township Launches New Mobile App

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP — Bloomfield Township recently launched its first mobile app, designed to improve communication and deliver information about township services, meetings and events directly to residents, business owners and visitors.

The Bloomfield Township app is now available for free download in iPhone app stores and Google Play for Android.

“I’ve been saying for about a year now that there would be an app — and I finally have it,” said Carrie LeZotte, director of cable and community relations for Bloomfield Community Television.

LeZotte said there was a bidding process in which her team met with four suppliers from across the country, comparing prices and functionality before settling on Bingham Farms’ jācapps.

“Then the real fun began, with the initial design, testing, changes, app store acceptance—which took a while. … It probably took three months to get accepted,” LeZotte explained. “We were able to do focus groups, incorporate feedback, do a soft launch, and now we have our mobile app ready to go.”

The app is a free reporting tool that gives you access to live coverage of commune meetings, event listings, podcasts and more anywhere.

“We wanted to find a different way to provide services and communicate with residents,” said Amy McKaig, digital content coordinator at Bloomfield Community Television.

On the app’s home screen, users will see scrolling messages and four icons—“Click and Report,” “Local Podcasts and Media,” “Senior Center,” and “Map.” Three horizontal lines in the upper left corner of the page open more options, such as “Municipal News” and “Budget Book.”

“One of the most useful features is the ‘click and report’ feature. If you’re walking around and you see something, you can take a picture and send it directly to the department, which will look into it,” LeZotte said.

For example, if users see a tree branch or debris blocking a safety path during their morning walk, LeZotte said, they can open the app, select “Click & Report” and then choose “Safety Path Maintenance.” They can then select an image from their camera roll or take a photo in the app, and an email will be generated to the Department of Environmental and Engineering Services, and they can include any pertinent information, such as the location on the safety path.

“It’s just a quick and easy way for residents to let us know about something,” McKaig said.

Additional app features include the ability to stream BCTV content as it airs—including live coverage of Board of Trustees meetings—listen to podcasts produced by Bloomfield Community Television, and check out all upcoming events offered by the Senior Center, including registration links.

“We had a lot of fun making it and it’s had over 1,000 downloads so far, so I think that’s pretty good,” McGaig said.

The municipality is seeking feedback from the community to make the app more useful. Users can click “Contact” and select Cable and Community Relations Department to provide feedback on their experiences with the app.

“It’s pretty basic to start with, and we’ll continue to evolve it—you don’t want to do everything at once. You want people to use it and be able to tell them about new things,” LeZotte said.

The cost of developing the app was $2,000, and the borough will pay $150 a month for access and maintenance for the next two years under an agreement with jācapps. LeZotte said the funding came from the borough’s community outreach budget.

“This is definitely the most reasonable price we’ve gotten for an app that does what we need it to do for a community our size,” LeZotte added. “We’ll also continue to add features.”

For more information about the app, visit bloomfieldtwp.org/app.