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| Making
a Difference.. |
| There is a severe shortage of blood in our area!
Please join us in donating blood.
Please call 631.930.9033 to make
an appointment, or click on the Blood Donation Locator link, below, to find
a date and location near you.
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Press / News
| In the News... |
|
Smithtown Ramps Up Its Website |
| By Stephanie
Regina |
April 05, 2006 |
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For more than four years, the town of Smithtown has been
using the Internet as a vehicle for keeping residents informed
of town news and events, but this year Councilwoman Patricia
Biancaniello is working on taking the town’s website to a higher
level. After her election in January of this year, Biancaniello
realized that there was potential to significantly expand the
information available to residents and town employees via the
Internet and established a reformed technology committee that
will regularly develop new information and features for the
website. |
“People need to be included in town government,” Biancaniello
said, “and I immediately saw that our website is one of the most
effective ways of providing residents with information and
allowing them to become involved with the town.”
According to Town Purchasing Director Joseph Kostecki, changes
in town personnel in recent years caused the site to be somewhat
neglected — an oversight that the reformed technology committee
is addressing. “The committee represents several departments,
which helps us to cover the wide range of residents’ needs and
concerns,” said Kostecki, who is himself a member of the
committee. “We also strive to get as much input as possible from
the residents, because that’s what the role of government should
be: it should serve the residents and make town information as
accessible as possible.”
Kostecki says almost 4,600 emails have been sent to the site
since it was launched, and most of them have been responded to
with either direct answers to questions or referrals to the
appropriate department. The site is visited approximately 400 to
500 times a day.
“We are pleased that citizens are accessing the website and
appear to be well satisfied with what we offer,” commented Town
Supervisor Pat Vecchio. “People are reporting street light
outages, potholes and other concerns via email, which expedites
remediation.”
Currently, the website includes such information as upcoming
events, town notices and news, budget information, and
department contact information. Last year, a tide chart was
added at the request of residents who do a lot of boating and
fishing, and, under Biancaniello’s direction, minutes and
agendas were added to the calendar of town meetings so that
residents can be aware of what topics will be covered and have
the option to submit comments beforehand.
Although the committee is still working on defining its
long-term goals, the committee members are already receiving
overwhelming support from several department heads who are eager
to expand information on the site. “The town clerk has been very
interested in modernizing and continues to provide more license
and permit applications and other information in PDF [Portable
Document Format] form, which are currently available on the
website,” Kostecki said. “We also have a new highway
superintendent who is eager to include road condition updates.”
“The ability to make so much information available on the
website does a lot to eliminate ‘phone tag,’ which saves both
residents and employees a lot of time and grief,” Biancaniello
said. “It’s also cost effective to offer so much online.”
Residents can look forward to the availability of other
information, including tips on animal inoculation and other
issues from the safety department, as well as information about
programs sponsored by the town. Biancaniello says she would also
like to have a survey put in place to gain residents’ feedback
about the site and what else they think should be available. The
town website address is
www.smithtowninfo.com . |
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©Suffolk Life Newspapers 2006 |
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| Pat's Response to NY Times Editorial
(see Below) |
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