City Web site will feature interactive map for parks
, News Editor
08-22-2008
The Richmond Park Board has decided to make their own leap into the digital age.
The board not only voted to commission city Web site designer Tim Hamilton to construct a Web page, they also decided to add a line item for Information Technology spending.
Hamilton will construct an interactive map of the city’s park system. Users will be able to click on any park and pull up pictures and information about that particular park.
Board Member Mark Sowder suggested the board have a map designed after many questions arrived from residents not familiar with the names and descriptions they were reading in the paper. Any minor changes to the map or updates would be performed for free by Hamilton.
The suggestion to add a line item came from City Administrator Rick Childers. Childers suggested adding $5,000 to the Park budget. He said he budgeted $25,000 for the city last year and it was not nearly enough. He said adding the line doesn’t mean the money has to be spent. He did say the board should consider purchasing a computer for Park Superintendent Terry Dickey.
Board Member Glen Martin suggested the board add $2,000 to the budget and then go from there after next year. Martin said going digital will be a necessity in the future and would be a time saver for parents now.
“We’re not as digital a community as probably some and we’re not as digital as we’re going to be,” Martin said. “But there’s going to come a time when what you really want to be able to do is register your kid for football and pay for it right there. There’s tons of stuff we can do there.”
The board hired Hamilton for $50 an hour. Hamilton said he feels comfortable in saying that he can complete the project in less than 10 hours and it could be up and running with in month. Hamilton currently maintains the city’s new Web site for free and constructed it for free. However, he said he would have to charge for future projects that require a lot of time.
“This map has some functionality to it,” he explained. “It’s not a 15 minute thing, it’s a several hours thing.”
Childers said that there is also a line item in the Recreation budget for IT. He said it is to develop a system similar to the Spartan Alert system.
Childers said that the city plans on making the Web site capable for residents to fill out forms and pay for services in the future.
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