Town launches new Web site
December 14, 2009
Residents wondering what their elected officials are up to now have an easy means of finding out, right at their fingertips.
The town of Farmington has just launched a new and vastly improved Web site that features everything from agendas for upcoming board meetings and minutes from previous sessions to contact information for government leaders and information on community events.
The site, www.townoffarmingtonny.com, has been up and running for a few weeks. It is the product of a months-long undertaking by Town Board member Peter Ingalsbe, Town Clerk-elect Michelle Finley and Farmington resident Stephan Schmidt.
Schmidt, a computer whiz, generously donated his time to launch the site. There’s no fee to the town for the site’s first year of operation.
“The site opens local government to our citizens and quite frankly, the rest of the world,” said Town Supervisor Ted Fafinski. “For a long time we had a ‘static’ Web site that just gave basic information. We searched for the best venue to bring the kind of information people wanted to them.”
In fact, Ingalsbe spent months checking out Web sites for municipalities across the state before coming up with a plan for Farmington. Schmidt took most of the photographs of local places of interest for the Web site. The site allows residents to register their e-mail addresses to receive regular updates from the town. The hope is to also provide regular updates for the town’s new Recreation Office, which will be based in the Lodge at Mertensia Park and headed up by Mark Cain. Already posted is information about the “Evening with Santa” at the lodge this Friday, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m.
The site remains a work in progress. Town officials hope to add minutes from the 2009 meetings for all of the town’s various boards as well as a section specifically for senior citizens. Town department staffers are being trained to provide regular updates on the site.
“We’re always open to suggestions to help make this Web site the best it can be,” said Fafinski.
For more information, contact the town supervisor’s office at (315) 986-8193.
