NotifyBoston

Working with you to make Boston a better place. The City of Boston's Office of Constituent Engagement, Tel:[phone]

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Welcome Students: Five Things to Know When You Move to Boston

Whether you're a new or returning student, welcome to Boston. We're a community of neighborhoods with the advantages of both a world class city and a small town. We invite you to take advantage of the quality of life and diversity that make this such a special place to live.

In addition to studying and learning, Boston has a lot to offer - institutions like the Boston Public Library, great museums, music and sports, parks and waterfronts, and a varied economy with job and internship opportunities to explore.

On behalf of Mayor Martin J. Walsh, our 24-Hour Hotline [phone] is always ready to take your questions and concerns. Read on to learn more.

HOUSING

Having trouble with your landlord? Concerned about unsafe or unhealthy living conditions? The City of Boston can help. Call us to arrange an inspection by Inspectional Services. And, our Rental Housing Resource center, which offers free mediation services, can be reached by calling 617-635-4200 or online here; the City of Boston's Constituent Service Hotline is open 24/7 at 617-635-4500.

To set up your electric, gas, cable and internet accounts, call here:

NStar Gas and Electric: [phone]

National Grid Gas: [phone]

Comcast: (800) COMCAST

RCN: [phone]

Verizon: (800) VERIZON

TRASH & RECYCLING

To find out your trash and recycling collection schedule, click here. 

For information about what can be collected, like mattresses, TVs and potted plants, visit our trash directory here, or call the Mayor's 24 Hour Hotline.

TRANSPORTATION & PARKING

Looking for an affordable & eco-friendly way to get around the city? Take the T! Get a Charlie Card, or, get a New Balance Hubway bike share membership and start riding today. 

Living off-campus and need a resident parking sticker? Click here to check requirements and apply for a sticker. Your car must be registered to your new Boston address. To change your registration or get a Massachusetts driver's license, visit the Registry of Motor Vehicles. 

SAFETY

Be mindful of your surroundings. Always be respectful of your neighbors. When you move into any city, it's important to know how to stay safe: at night, walk in groups and avoid distractions like headphones and cell phones. Take note of your school's police department number, and for emergencies, dial 9-1-1.

Emergencies can happen anywhere, anytime. Alert Boston, the City's emergency notification system, will keep you connected. Sign up for alerts on your phone, by email or text message.

Balcony, roof and outdoor grilling safety. Decks, roofs and balconies pose safety hazards when allowed to deteriorate or when misused. Charcoal grills must be on the ground away from buildings. Propane tanks are only allowed on first floor porches with steps to the ground.

GET INVOLVED

Find out about volunteer opportunities, and make sure to register to vote! Join the conversation online with your city via our social media directory, and stay in touch: download the Citizens Connect mobile app to report issues in your neighborhood, and here are even more ways to reach us. Don't forget to join us for a student move-in Twitter Chat with Mayor Walsh (@marty_walsh) at 2:30pm on Friday, Sept. 5.

More: boston.gov/students

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4 Reasons To Sign Up for #HubHacks Hackathon

The City of Boston's first-ever civic hackathon is August 9-10 at District Hall in Boston. Mayor Walsh, the Department of Innovation & Technology and the Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics want your ideas for how technology can improve Boston's permitting process. From business-owners to home improvement projects, tech-friendlier permitting supports a more transparent and accessible city government.

These four challenges are on the table this weekend. Sign up and get more details here, and follow @DoITBoston on Twitter for live updates all weekend.

Challenges

Which Permits Do I Need?: A single project may require multiple permits. Applicants need a clear, intuitive, and enjoyable guide that will help applicants identify the permits they need to start working.

What’s my Address of Record?: Every project needs to be linked to an address in the City’s master database.  In the current system, finding your address is tougher than it should be. Our new online system needs a clear way to search addresses and suggest alternatives, getting it right the first time.

Can I Apply for that Permit Online?: With September 1st weeks away, developers will try their hand at a challenge to provide a very practical solution using the City’s new API - creating a simple online and/or mobile application for Street Occupancy permits required to block space for a moving truck.  

Where am I in the Approval Process?: Complex building projects can take months to review and permit, even if the process works correctly. Residents needs a clear way to track all permits associated with their project, which helps them understand how close they are to getting underway. 

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HubHacks: Civic Hackathon August 9-10

#hubhacks

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Mayor Walsh declared May 3 Eugene Mirman Day in the City of Boston, on the occasion of the second annual Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival taking place this weekend. Watch what happened when Eugene came to City Hall to pick up his official proclamation. 

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A hokey crew helps perform detail work sweeping Boston streets; in this behind-the-scenes video, go along with one at work. This spring, Mayor Walsh has doubled the number of these crews in the City of Boston. Join our efforts to make Boston beautiful this spring by signing up for Boston Shines, the citywide cleanup, now taking place three weekends. 

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Make your spring clean GREEN! In Boston, there are a few ways to participate in recycling - this handy PSA explains how to request a recycling bin, or, use a special sticker to transform an existing container into a bin. Get more spring cleaning tips from the City of Boston at http://bit.ly/scrubthehub. 

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It's finally spring in Boston! Mayor Walsh is celebrating by doubling up on the number of hokey crews sweeping the streets, commencing with a new season of street cleaning, and welcoming you to join us in beautifying Boston. If you're in the middle of spring cleaning and want to schedule a pickup for special bulk items, this PSA will make the process easy for you. You can find more tips and resources around spring in Boston at boston.gov/spring.

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Boston Public Works is ready for spring cleaning, no matter what

Just because the calendar pages turn, that doesn't mean it's the last you'll see of winter's snow salter trucks. But that's not because it's a long winter - that's because new models of trucks actually double as street sweepers, and can be converted between dump to salt truck and back again, depending on need. That means our Public Works crews are able to quickly convert between spring clean to snow storm mode, as New England weather can dictate.

Boston's Public Works fleet now includes 21 2012-14 model year Freightliner all-season dump trucks, which increases efficiency and turnaround time. The "Hi-Way" brand all-season trucks can convert between plowing and spreading salt to hauling loads of debris within minutes, instead of having to mount an auxiliary salt spreader, which takes longer. 

We have it on good authority that spring is just around the corner. Really. Regular spring sweeping start April 1, in addition to posted schedules - check here for your street's schedule. 

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What's really on Mayor Walsh's dashboard? Read more about how Mayor Walsh and his team are using real-time data visualization to help manage the city, from constituent service and 911 data to social media sentiment. 

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How can you reimagine Boston's public spaces? Enter the Public Space Invitational, and attend a q&a Tuesday night at 6pm at District Hall with our office of New Urban Mechanics.

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Monday, check in with Mayor Walsh for his latest Twitter chat. Ask your questions starting at 3pm to @marty_walsh, using the hashtag #AskMJW.

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Balmy days are just around the corner, and we're in the home stretch now - even this week, we'll see temperatures climb into the 50s. As we see winter's thaw, we'll also see the conditions that create potholes' most prevalent season. Won't you help us spot potholes? That's right - it's SpotHoles‬ season. Here's everything you need to know about potholes in the City of Boston, including how to report them if you see them.

(H/T to Boston Parks and Recreation Department Instagram for this dreamy photo!)

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Winter Weather Advisory 2/13-14

CITY OF BOSTON WINTER STORM UPDATE

National Weather Service has declared a Winter Weather Advisory in effect for the City of Boston from 7:00 a.m. Thursday through 7:00 a.m. Friday. Latest forecasts indicate the storm is expected to result in 2 to 4 inches of snow in Boston by noon, when the precipitation is expected to change to rain. Boston is likely to see additional 2 to 3 inches of snowtomorrow after the evening commute through Friday morning. Wind gusts may reach up to 50MPH; combined with rain and wet snow, Boston may experience downed trees and power lines causing power outages. 

Mayor Walsh convened his team tonight to discuss the latest storm-related information and response plans. His team will continue to monitor the forecast and provide updates throughout the weather event.

All Boston schools will operate on normal schedules tomorrow, including after-school activities. Parents can track the location of their child's school bus in real time using the "Where's my School Bus" app athttp://schoolbus.bostonpublicschools.org. Parents can also call the Boston Public Schools Transportation Hotline at 617-635-9520.

Public Works

Public Works teams will begin pre-treating roads at 5:00 a.m.tomorrow.

Crews are prepared for the snow event, and will have more than 300 pieces of equipment active for the morning commute. 

Trash collection will begin an hour early at 6:00 a.m. tomorrowmorning.  

Public Safety

Boston Police, Boston Fire, and Boston EMS will have additional staff on hand throughout the storm.

Boston Police will be posted at major intersections tomorrowmorning to assist with traffic flow.

Cold Weather Safety Reminders

Residents are encouraged to shovel out hydrants and catch basins near or abutting their property to assist our public safety agencies and protect against flooding.

Carbon Monoxide is an odorless and tasteless gas that results from combustion and can quickly become fatal. Residents should clear snow and debris away from mufflers before starting the car and ensure that external vents are cleared of snow. If you are using a generator, make sure it is far enough away to vent air and gases away from the home. A safety video about carbon monoxide poisoning prevention is available here.

Property owners are required to salt and sand sidewalks, stairs and pedestrian ramps to prevent slippery surfaces.

Please check on elderly or vulnerable neighbors who may need help.

Use caution when walking near buildings that may have falling snow or ice.

Shoveling snow can pose a serious health safety risk to persons with heart disease and senior citizens. Residents should consider seeking the assistance of a family member, a helpful neighbor or hire someone to help.

Additional cold weather safety tips can be found at:http://www.cityofboston.gov/cold/safety.asp.

The Mayor's 24-Hour Hotline will have additional staff on-hand and residents with weather-related questions or concerns, including down power lines, down trees or icy conditions, should call [phone].

Residents are encouraged to use the City’s “Know Snow” program for access to other important storm-related information. To receive notifications, register for the City’s Alert Boston network athttp://www.cityofboston.gov/snow/. For updates & questions via Twitter, use @NotifyBoston, follow #bosnow. 

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Mayor Walsh visits the City of Boston's 24-Hour Hotline before greeting the Boston media with updates about the city's snow operations. 

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Our latest batch of snow-related PSAs - the Tuesday snow emergency and parking ban in Boston has been lifted as of 5PM Wednesday, with discounted parking available until 7PM. Get the latest announcements via www.cityofboston.gov/snow, follow @NotifyBoston on Twitter, and call 24/7 with questions: 617-635-4500.

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Mayor Walsh Announces Cabinet Reorganization

Mayor Martin J. Walsh today unveiled his plans for a comprehensive reorganization of the cabinets and departments of the City of Boston. 

“Our role as a government is to improve people’s lives, and the purpose of this reorganization is to better deliver services to the people of Boston,” Mayor Walsh said. “As a new administration serving a changing city, we’ve had an opportunity to take a good hard look at what worked, what could work better, and make changes to become more efficient and improve outcomes for the people we serve.”

The structure will include 12 cabinets: Arts & Culture; Chief of Staff; Economic Development; Education; Environment, Energy & Open Space; Finance & Budget; Health & Human Services; Housing & Neighborhood Development; Information & Technology; Operations & Administration; Public Safety; and Streets, Transportation & Sanitation. The leadership team will also include, ex officio, the Corporation Counsel, Chief of Policy, and Chief Communications Officer. With this reorganization, two cabinets have been consolidated: Advocacy & Strategic Investment, and Public Property. Departments previously under these cabinets have been realigned within the new structure. 

Improving Delivery of Services

Many of the changes to the cabinet are intended to streamline services and improve collaboration among departments with common goals. The cabinet of Streets, Transportation & Sanitation, for example, will better align operations of the Department of Public Works, the Boston Transportation Department and Boston Water & Sewer, departments that frequently work together in different capacities.

Elevating the Arts

The Arts & Culture cabinet will be a partner in all creative, economic and tourism discussions and initiatives. The addition of this cabinet fulfills Mayor Walsh’s pledge to create a vehicle through which the City can work to increase diversity and inclusion, seek grants and sponsorship opportunities, and secure funding and support for Boston’s arts community.

Economic Development

The creation of the Economic Development cabinet is the first step in a broad effort to streamline and support the areas of focus that contribute to Boston’s economy, including tourism, jobs and employment, businesses development, and real estate development. Mayor Walsh has consistently emphasized the need for increased transparency and accessibility for all Bostonians – especially women- and minority-owned businesses, and local businesses – to share in and benefit from the economic boom in Boston.

Process

The cabinet review and restructure began in the transition period, as Mayor Walsh worked closely with the transition committee co-chairs to seek input from transition committee members, Boston residents and businesses, and other stakeholders. Over the course of the transition and the early weeks of the administration, Mayor Walsh received input internally, through the web, phone calls and meetings, and a number of public hearings. 

Looking ahead, there may be additional organizational changes and consolidation at the department level. The cabinet changes will be implemented over the coming months; some changes will be reflected in the upcoming fiscal year budget, but the timeframe for some changes will be influenced by current vacancies and the timing of audits and studies on the reform of an agency (e.g., the Boston Redevelopment Authority).

Official Release via CityofBoston.gov

Chart updated 1.30.

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Mayor Walsh visited with the Junior Celtics at Madison Park Saturday - here's what happened.

Slam Dunk with Mayor Walsh from City of Boston on Vimeo.