LYNN — Two new solar-powered digital information kiosks have been installed in the city from Soofa Talk, an outdoor-advertising and communication platform.
One kiosk is in front of City Hall, and the other is near the intersection of Exchange Street and Union Street by LynnArts.
“It’s a wayfinding piece, it’s interactive, it allows us to put out messages,” Lynn Arts and Culture Planner LaCrecia Thomson said. “Let’s say from the mayor’s office, if there’s a parking emergency or something like that, that office can send information directly to those signs so that passersby can see it and get that information.”
The kiosks also have an events calendar, newsreel, weather forecast, and transit information, she said.
“We also have the ability to ask questions and put up polls,” Thomson said. “It’s a really nice, simple tool to use for some community engagement or getting information out to the community in a pretty easy way.”
These two new kiosks bring the total amount in Lynn up to three. The first one was installed about a year ago in front of the library after Soofa Talk reached out to the city to install them, she said.
“Soofa is for people with a shared stake in a special place,” the platform’s website said. “We create the neighborhood newsfeed that connects a community with screens everyone can see and anyone can use.”
The city does not have to pay for the kiosks, Thomson said. Soofa Talk obtains sponsors for each one. The kiosk by the library is sponsored by the Museum of Science in Boston and the new ones are sponsored by Eliot Community Human Service.
“We’re kind of participating in a pilot program for it right now to see how well it works,” Thomson said.
The city is currently looking at two other locations for more kiosks in the future, she said.
“It’s just an interesting way to help spread messages to people who are already on the street anyway,” Thomson said. “It’s more interactive, it’s very convenient. The signs themselves, they’re large, but they’re not intrusive.”
Valerie Vong, the communications manager for Mayor Jared Nicholson, said she updates the signs with news from the office at least once or twice a week. She has also used the poll function to draw community engagement by asking questions such as “What are your plans for Spring Break?” and “What is your vision for the City of Lynn?”
“The Nicholson administration is committed to expanding our communication efforts across the city and implementing effective strategies to keep us connected with our residents,” Vong said. “These signs are an innovative, multi-purpose communication tool used to share updates from the city, which promotes community engagement, grows our audience of residents, and ensures they are kept informed.”
