KNOX — The town board is enthusiastic about establishing a website for Knox.

Robert Price, the chairman of the Knox Planning Board, has been pushing for the town to have its own website, and last Tuesday the town board heard his argument.

Price, before introducing Robert Aronson, of Hilltop Computing, updated the board on the status of residents’ access to information about the town via the Internet.

Information about Town Hall and town events, he said, could be found through a website created by Knox resident and zoning board secretary, Robert Simpson. The site (helderweb.com), Price explained, had recently been taken down. While it was up and running, it had a link to the town, but did not stand alone as its own.
"We’ve never had our own website," Price said.

He also stated that the site once used as the town’s information site contained some out-dated information, and didn’t include the names of elected officials, their contact information, or the town’s upcoming events.
"The town officers should be there"because they’re elected," Price told The Enterprise.

Upon being introduced and highly recommended by Price, Aronson presented board members with copies of a written proposal.

Aronson provided detailed information of what would be included on the town’s website, should the board elect to create a site and contract his services.

In the design and implementation of the site, Aronson said, he would include all relevant information pertaining to Town Hall and the elected officials — hours, officials’ names, positions, contact information, and schedules. Also, Aronson said, the minutes from board meetings would be archived and easily accessible to the public.

In August, The Enterprise had editorialized about the need for town records to be organized and accessible, and recommended archiving minutes on a town website.

The site, Aronson said, would also include: a map; listings of planned road work; a page for the historical society; a photo gallery; a link to the homeland security site; government phone numbers; calendars; and a mission statement of the town, should the town choose to have one.

The total cost for design and implementation, Aronson said, would be $1,275. Half would be paid to him upon acceptance, and the other half paid upon completion. He’d charge $50 per month to maintain the site. For major changes, he said, the charge would be $50 per hour.

The site would be completed 30 days from acceptance, and there would be a review before the site goes up.

After hearing Aronson’s proposal, Councilman Nicholas Viscio, proposed the board discuss the matter further before making a decision. The board and Price then discussed the advantage of having a local resident, such as Aronson, perform all maintenance and up-dating of the town website. Board members agreed to discuss the matter further, and decided to secure a domain name (an address for the town of Knox site) before coming to a conclusion.
Councilwoman Patricia Gage said of Aronson, "He’s local. I highly recommend him."

A town website could play a critical role by posting bulletins in cases of emergencies, Price told The Enterprise this week.

He said that five years ago, when the town had heavy snows and very warm temperatures, a town website could have informed residents what was going on in their town.
"There was water everywhere," said Price. "It would have been nice to have seen what was closed up."

The initial cost to the town for hiring Aronson to create the website, Price said, is very reasonable. He compared Aronson’s proposal with the nearby town of Rotterdam, which, he said, spent $5,000 to update its website.
Price said of Aronson, "He knows what he’s doing. He’s honest, he’s fair, and he does what he says he’s going to do."

Other business

In other business, the town board:

— Approved the request of Robert Haas to replace a trailer at Nash Road;

— Approved the appointment of Thomas Wolfe to the planning-board post left vacant by the resignation of Martin Strnad;

— Acknowledged Kevin Sherman, Jason Norray, and Andrew Cortez for achieving the rank of Eagle Scout in Troop 79.
"We’re very pleased to have these people here," Supervisor Michael Hammond said of the Scouts. He added that he would write letters for their achievements for their portfolios;
— Acknowledged Knox resident Megan Mason for becoming Miss Altamont Fair. Hammond said, "It’s a nice honor for a local resident";

— Set the date for budget workshops for the 2007 fiscal year for Sept. 26 and Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. at Town Hall;

— Heard from Hammond that the highway-by-use law pertains to certain roads within the town that had been under question. The roads in question were Helderberg, Malachi, and Whipple roads.
Hammond said he had spoken to the town’s attorney, John Dorfman, who was not present, and said, "We can use the highway-by-use statute because we have been running on those roads." The town has been maintaining the partly-private roads for years and will continue to do so; and

— Appointed Catherine Traina to the position of planning board secretary.