Since the City of College Station began using SeeClickFix for citizens to report code enforcement and public works issues, hundreds of issues have been successfully resolved. And of the 143 cases reported through the online application in 2011, most were resolved within a week.

However, a successful resolution doesn’t always mean fulfilling the request – at least not immediately.

A few weeks ago, a resident used SeeClickFix to request the removal of a diseased tree in Brison Park. The next day, a Parks and Recreation Department crew discovered that a large limb had fallen off the sick tree, revealing a partially hollow interior. A peek inside revealed that the tree may have been hollow, but it was certainly not empty.

A family of owls had taken up residence and seemed to be doing quite well, thank you.

Displacing the young family from its cozy home wasn’t an attractive option, so the soft-hearted city crew chose to leave the shabby tree – and its feathered occupants – alone for now. When the resident learned why his request would not be resolved, he chuckled and said we’d hear no more “screeching and hooting” about it from him.

Continue reading “Why Should You Give a Hoot about SeeClickFix?”