Online contest introduces new site and Facebook page

By Jeff Clemetson | Editor

The city of La Mesa recently upgraded its online presence with a new website and a city Facebook page.

“The site is our latest step in introducing new pathways for people to engage in all that our city has to offer,” Mayor Mark Arapostathis said in a press release that corresponded with the new site’s official launch on June 1. “It’s a milestone in our commitment to providing outstanding community service.”

The new site, which cost $34,000, was directed by the City Council in April of last year in an effort to drive more residents to online resources.

“In general, they wanted it to have a new look, and to be more interactive for the public to be able to do more without having to call or come in person,” the city of La Mesa website administrator Ofelia Andrade said.

One of the features of the website is the new “Agenda Center” that makes it much easier to sift through different government agendas and minutes from meetings.

“Before, we just posted a big PDF packet with the agenda and all the backup material behind it. Now there’s an HTML viewer built into this app so everything is clickable,” Andrade said. “Rather than a PDF, you’re looking at it in the web browser and you can say, ‘I just want item four’ and you can click on it and it takes you to that item and you can print just that item. And within that same module you can bring up the minutes, where before it was housed in a different place. We were limited in how we displayed agendas in the past and now everything is in one place.”

Along with the redesign, the city purchased more data space that enabled the site to host videos of City Council and other city commission meetings, which will usually be available online the following day, Andrade said.

One of the main reasons people go to La Mesa’s website is for information on the parks, and the new site reflects that with a page which is easier to navigate with zoom-in maps and other features.

“It’s an interactive page where you can click on a thumbnail of a park and it shows you a picture and it gives you some facility info. You can also apply for a use permit right off the page,” Andrade said.

Reporting items of concern to the city was also streamlined with the new website. The “Your Gov” feature lets users report to the city from their home computer or smartphone and utilizes GPS to drop a pin to where the user is, which then opens a drop-down list of possible issues to report such as potholes or noise complaints and then sends a notice to staff. You can also view a map that shows what other issues people have reported.

“It will tell you if your neighbor already submitted a request for that same issue, you’ll see it up there,” Andrade said.

Staying informed on city issues and events is also easier. The city newsletters, press releases from police, senior center updates, parks events and more are posted online and users can request updates to be emailed or texted to them.

“You can choose what information you want to receive — you don’t just get anything and everything,” Andrade said.

In addition to engaging residents, the website will also support current and prospective business owners by promoting the Dine.Shop.Explore initiative. Events like the upcoming car shows, concerts in Harry Griffin Park and holiday events will be featured there as well.

Facebook and Website Scavenger Hunt

In addition to the new site, La Mesa has also expanded its social media platform. The city has been on Twitter for a while, Andrade said, but was “late to the game” on creating a Facebook page.

To get the word out, the city is hosting a Website Scavenger Hunt to draw people to both the new site and the Facebook page.

Each week for the months of June and July, there is a question posted to the Facebook page that directs people to the website to find the answer.

“They can use the search function or they can find the information however they want to and then just need to tell what the answer is and where they found it and then we pick a winner at the end of the week,” Andrade said.

Winners will receive a gift bag valued at around $45, which will consist of items from local shops and gift certificates for local restaurants.

To get in on the fun, visit the Facebook page at facebook.com/lamesaca and then visit the new website at cityoflamesa.us.

—Reach Jeff Clemetson at [email protected].