Code ditches pagers, goes mobile

In what may amount to a bold leap forward, the city’s Planning and Development Review Department announced Wednesday that city building inspectors will now be carrying cellphones. According to a news release touting the change, “Previously, communication was limited to pagers and office phones. Pagers precluded two-way communication, and office phones required the inspector to travel back to the office at the end of each day to retrieve messages and return phone calls.” It continues: “With cellphones, customers can call or text their designated inspector during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. If the inspector is driving or performing an inspection and cannot answer a call, customers can send a text message that includes their name, phone number, permit number, and address in advance of a return phone call.” A list of inspectors, their email addresses and their new cellphone numbers is available online, for your convenience, on the city’s website.