For anyone who’s lived in the Bronx long enough, they’ll learn it can take an insane amount of time to fix a quality of life problem. So if it’s a busted fire hydrant, perpetually loud neighbors, an overpopulated cat colony, or a lost coin (it’s been known to happen), resolve is almost never instantaneous, a curse that bedevils anyone making a complaint through the city’s 311 hotline.

The system, implemented in 2003 during the Bloomberg years, serves as the city’s official customer service line, though that depiction is a stretch, depending on who you talk to. It functions more as an intake center, intended not to necessarily resolve non-emergency issues, but defer it to the most relevant agency. So if you’re thinking a problem is quickly handled just by calling, don’t hold your breath.

Problems can nag for years to the point you just give up, letting the issue blend in into the neighborhood’s DNA. Not good.

It’s common to let things go   in the city, forgetting about it completely. But not so much for residents living within local Community Board 7 (CB7).

CB7, the city-recognized panel overlapping with Norwood News’ coverage area, covers the zip codes of 10451, 10453, 10457, 10458, 10460, 10463, 10467, and 10468. A recent review of 311 shows residents living in CB7 have helped place the Board in the top five of 59 community boards with the most complaints on file across the city.

That can be seen as a good thing, an accomplishment really. After all, in these days of quick-seeking gratification, CB7 is aware of this problematic timeframe.

But they’re aware of how to beat it: constant calling through strength in numbers.

So pull your friends to call on an issue and there’s a greater chance of a fast tracked resolution. Besides, leaving a paper trail, in this case obtaining a 311 Unique ID number that’s logged with any complaint filed, holds plenty of weight.

A brief overview of 311 complaints filed between 2010 and early 2016 shows roughly 207,419 gripes were made within Community Board 7’s borders. Some are repeats, yes, but repeats are often the key to resolutions. The more individual residents begin filing 311 complaints on the same infraction, the more you will get results. So one person can’t quite make a difference; not in the city’s eyes anyway. It takes a village to eradicate a problem.

CB7’s ranking beats out all other community boards in the Bronx. Sadly, Community Board 2 in the South Bronx ranked dead last in the number of complaints filed citywide. Not exactly a testament to the neighborhood’s civic engagement, but an indicator that city agencies are not paying attention to that part of the city. The city could, in fact, believe all is copacetic.

Falling fifth out of 59 is certainly an accomplishment. But for the Board to be number one, it takes you and your neighbors to flood the system with complaints. Positive change is bureaucratically slow. In some instances, such as a case involving a damaged tree near Wayne Avenue in Norwood (311 Unique ID# 16309497; filed in 2010 and resolved in 2015), an outcome can take years.

The bottom line is to keep complaining; fuel your anger on the system with patience, persistence, and perseverance. The secret to greasing the wheels is outright complaining. Staying silent won’t lead anywhere. Empower yourself to reclaim your neighborhood. Call 311.