Youth presenters say Merced Connect reports closed without repairs; city IT, public works pledge investigation

Youth United presented a packet at the Merced town hall showing multiple Merced Connect work orders the group said were closed while playground equipment, basketball courts and other park features remained unrepaired. City IT and public‑works staff acknowledged problems with the app after its March launch and promised to review specific cases and improve follow-up communications.

Crystal Ramos, program manager for Youth United, introduced a stack of printed reports documenting park complaints and closures. Youth presenter Adrian Chaheda told the council the Merced Connect app has roughly 100 downloads despite a 100,000‑resident city and asked, “How much of the city's budget went into the marketing of the app because less than 1% of the city's population using the app is crazy work?” Adrian and other youth described closed work orders — including a rusted playground structure at Joher Park and graffiti‑damaged basketball courts — that they said showed no on‑site repairs after closure notifications.

Quinton, a youth participant, asked, "How will the people know that the request was actually worked on?" He and his peers urged the city to include photos of completed work in app notifications and to move from a strictly work‑order model to routine, staffed park inspections.

Jeff Binhoff, the city’s IT contact for the app, acknowledged post‑launch ‘‘hiccups’’ when the new Merced Connect went live in March and asked the youth to provide the specific work‑order numbers so staff could investigate whether closures reflected miscommunication or software errors. "I'd like to find out a little bit more information so we could work with you to find out what's going on there," he said.

Councilmembers and public‑works staff said park maintenance remains a high priority but noted recurring challenges: limited crews handling routine maintenance, deferred maintenance backlogs and damage from vandalism. Councilor Harris thanked Youth United for compiling specific, actionable reports, saying the details ‘‘deserve our attention, remediation, and followup.’’ Public works managers described recent investments in park upgrades (playground renovations, restrooms, cameras) but acknowledged the ongoing burden of upkeep across roughly 36 parks in the city.

Next steps: IT asked the youth presenters to share the packet and specific case IDs; public works and parks staff asked for the printed reports and said they would follow up on unresolved work orders and explore adding photographic verification in app updates. Councilmembers urged staff to ensure timely, accurate notifications when work is completed.

All quotes are taken verbatim from speakers at the town hall.