Development Updates?
Anyone who clicks on "Development Updates" on the city's web site will find three items: The Monarch, North Avenue and Heartstone.
The Monarch is the 63-unit condo project with a senior center and veterans' center on the ground floor. The image of the North Avenue proposal and the text do not exactly match what is going on over there. But the Heartstone description is all wrong, as the developer dropped the project, the city-owned land was then branded as a pocket park and it has since been promised to another developer for an office project.
In addition, although the link is under Public Works & Urban Development, the page's heading is "Administration & Finance."
These are the types of things one hopes will be cleaned up if and when the city gets an IT director, because this web site is the city's face to the world at large. Now, not everything on a municipal web site or any other web site should be taken as the gospel truth, because many of them are out of date. But Plainfield's site has been lacking for four years. It needs a page-by-page review for content and relevancy, and overall navigation needs to be tightened up.
The Historic Preservation Commission had some very good information on the city site, but it was taken down. The HPC has now taken a stand that it will create its own web site and hopefully the city will at least link to it. Given that historic preservation is one of the city's main calling cards nationwide, showcasing information on its districts, design guidelines and other aspects is vital.
The last press release on the city web site dates back to March. The new IT director will be in charge of communications, including the local cable television channel, so maybe things will look up in 2010.
--Bernice Paglia
The Monarch is the 63-unit condo project with a senior center and veterans' center on the ground floor. The image of the North Avenue proposal and the text do not exactly match what is going on over there. But the Heartstone description is all wrong, as the developer dropped the project, the city-owned land was then branded as a pocket park and it has since been promised to another developer for an office project.
In addition, although the link is under Public Works & Urban Development, the page's heading is "Administration & Finance."
These are the types of things one hopes will be cleaned up if and when the city gets an IT director, because this web site is the city's face to the world at large. Now, not everything on a municipal web site or any other web site should be taken as the gospel truth, because many of them are out of date. But Plainfield's site has been lacking for four years. It needs a page-by-page review for content and relevancy, and overall navigation needs to be tightened up.
The Historic Preservation Commission had some very good information on the city site, but it was taken down. The HPC has now taken a stand that it will create its own web site and hopefully the city will at least link to it. Given that historic preservation is one of the city's main calling cards nationwide, showcasing information on its districts, design guidelines and other aspects is vital.
The last press release on the city web site dates back to March. The new IT director will be in charge of communications, including the local cable television channel, so maybe things will look up in 2010.
--Bernice Paglia
posted by Bernice at 5:30 AM
1 Comments:
Even if and when the city has a real website, it still wont have a real plan for economic development. Only then will the city see any progress to bringing back some real revenue to the city, and without a 10% tax increase!
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