What are some positive things you/your organization are doing with technology and what resources do you utilize to make it happen?
· Fiber connectivity between branches
· Data voice convergence
· Wifi in buildings
· City wide wifi projects
· Customer service increase with technology mobility/email
· Video Conferencing extensive use
· Healthcare – communications between patients/physician/order entry electronic medical records
· Bar code scanning for supply management
· More us in daily business practices
· Work at home opportunities – reducing increasing utility costs
o Nicholville, Kinney
· Website communication to parents from schools
o Lunch money entered online – with tracking
· Distance learning opportunities
o Saving on travel – virtual field trips
o 98% of Canton College involve technology
· VOIP to Bosnia
· Moving towards paperless – state reporting is electronic
· 4 day work week (work at home)
· Economic development (teleconferencing)
· Connect through the D of Labor
· Kinney has redundant connectivity to all buildings
· Electronic access to library databases (state provided)
· Chamber of Commerce –
o Increase small business with online ordering/marketing
· Tax collection on line (piercefield)
· Electronic reservations for state parks
· Massena and United helpers
o Communication open with other hospitals and providers
o Consultation with experts
o Centralized management for UH (business processes)
· Town of Stockholm
o DSL from Nicholville
o Resource for residents
· Northbay
o Able to be located here based on communication connectivity
o Business paperwork all online
· Remotely connecting to other companies and doing work on line – moving to VOIP
· Home based employees
· Rotating regional programs for health programs (dental hygiene)
o JCC and Broome CC
· School is the hub of access for Clifton-fine community
o Distance learning programs
· Free internet access at Libraries
· St Lawrence – web based systems for students and administration
· Webcasting of video
· Tying together disperse organizations (intra and inter)
· Remote monitoring of devices (DANC)
· Backup data outside of the area (online backups)
· Ability to change the way we work,live and get information
· Real property – PDF online of taxrolls
· Wireless courtroom
· High School VTC
· Extensive offering of online course – flexible learning options
· Video Conferencing international faculty and students
2. Overall, what are your organizations biggest challenges?
· Cultural challenge of technology
o Resistance of providing information (public record)
o Can lead to a lack of financial support
· Organization leadership is not there to use technology to be productive (technology enhance productivity)
· Customers and end users lack knowledge to use technology
o Need critical thinking skills training
· Students that are not successful in High School are lacking IT skills (and they stay in area)
· Value of the technology needs awareness (investment)
· Fuel Costs
· Remote Geography
· Employee recruitment (finding nearby)
· Population decline (infrastructure may be geared towards higher numbers)
· Taxes and cost of doing business in NYS (residential, business, licensing)
· Employee retention
o Especially in the IT sector
· Ability to maintain the technology they have
o Old technology - finding money for refreshing technology
· Building an interactive website and associated security (small business challenge)
· Employees access private business systems (terminal server or VPN) ability of the system to allow remote access
· Education
o In Clifton – most residents don’t have access at home – leads to abuse at school (email, web, etc)
o Parents are “scared” of the Internet
· Quality services for technical components
o Resources aren’t in the area (can’t find qualified service)
· Lack of access to skilled labor
o Technical skill backgrounds (healthcare) specialists
· Population density
· Duplication of infrastructure (shared skilled labor and infrastructure)
o Every town has the same personnel and software
· Dependent on roads for transportation
· Lack of access to an airport
· Lack of physical space (increase in record keeping requirements)
o Offsets space for personnel
· Staff resistance to adopting to new technologies
· Businesses needed to be willing to partner with others in the IT area
o Newton Falls – money to assist also benefitted the community
o CPH has a large fiber backbone to other hospitals – restricted to medical purposes only (grant stipulation) – wastes excess capacity
· Lack of training (needed) for IT users
· Access at home impacts the ability to do work or school at home
· HIPAA regulations – balance access and security
· Employee retention and recruitment, keeping people in area (graduates)
· Services at the county and state level are lacking (airports)
o Centralizing systems
· Lack of cell phone coverage
o Keeping in touch with people
o Need to provide basic services for business development
o Making sure expectations are met when business choose to locate here
· Challenges on who takes the lead on initiatives (government or private industry)
· Govt can hold back private industry from doing it’s own thing
· Private industry may “skim the cream” and leave out underserved areas
· Access to broadband across county and how to serve all communities
· Privacy issues concerning amount of data available on Internet
·
Sunday, September 14, 2008
08-28-08 Meeting Minutes
St. Lawrence County
Information Technology Advisory Committee
August 28, 2008, 2pm
Location: Human Service Conference Room, Canton, NY
Meeting Minutes
Present: Sign in sheet handed out (Laura Perry has on file)
No minutes to approve from the July 24, 2008 meeting (strategic planning event).
1) Pat McKeown, Executive Director of the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce provided a description of the current plan to use the broadband grant funding received from Senator Clinton. She described the funding source as having a broad goal of improving broadband access to unserved and underserved areas of St. Lawrence County and it is to be used for economic development purposes. The amount of the grant is $196,000 and it is being run through HUD (US Dept of Housing and Urban Development). Ms. McKeown explained that she sought the input of private providers, DANC, SLC Planning Dept and the IT Committee in preparing this plan.
The plan is for the Chamber to partner with DANC, to utilize its existing fiber backbone and to target three communities, those being (1) Hammond/Morristown, (2) Lisbon/Waddington, (3) Norfolk/Lousiville/Brasher. The Chamber will issue an RFP in the winter 2009 which will invite all providers with preference given to local providers, to provide a proposal to provide service to the target communities. The grant will provide matching funds to aid the providers in their proposal to deliver service.
Beyond the ‘who’ and the ‘where’, Ms. McKeown admitted that not much detail on the ‘how’ has been worked through yet. The committee offered suggestions on items to include in the RFP designed to help ensure the end product they are seeking, namely the desire of providing cost competitive universal broadband services to residents and businesses alike. The chamber should take measures to ensure the funding is used to get access for the customers that are costly for providers to serve, and to avoid crème skimming as has been the criticism of such efforts in the past. Laura is to provide those suggestions to Pat in a follow up email. A suggestion was made that if the Chamber’s model is successful, the committee may seek additional funds which could be used in additional communities.
2) Laura mentioned the opportunity with the Shared Services Grant offered by NYS. Several opportunities were identified where the County can serve as a service provider or a central clearinghouse for services at the local municipalities. The Shared Services Grant may be an opportunity to initiate this effort. Carrie Tuttle mentioned a tight time frame for getting local municipalities to commit and to prepare applications. A short list of some of the opportunities include: web services, tech support services/LAN, equipment sharing, equipment purchasing, data backup and storage, and data imaging. Carrie Tuttle also mentioned other possible sources of funding including NYS Archives. Committee should check in with Patty Richie.
3) Laura mentioned the Fort Drum Regional Planning effort and their North Country Telemedicine Project. Two of SLC’s hospitals were left out of the network, Massena Memorial Hospital and Claxton Hepburn, because of their physical distance from Fort Drum. It is thought that if the hospitals are interested in joining the effort, that there may be an opportunity at the Federal level for funding. Phil Deleel was to check into Claxton’s interest in the project. Laura is to contact Massena Memorial to find out if they are interested. Also, Laura is to speak with the director of the Fort Drum organization to see if she can offer assistance.
Pat Turbett offered that NYS Department of Health representative visits SLC each month and may offer some suggestions on funding opportunities for such an effort. His name is Peter Galeriesy and Pat will check to see if he could attend a future meeting to offer some advice.
3) As a suggestion from the legislature, the committee is asked to pass on to the Web Site Committee/Ruth Doyle to enable the new SLC site with a listing of County employee salaries, similar to what is available on http://www.seethroughnewyork.com/. The thought is that this information is FOIL’able, and we should be proactive in providing it before we receive a request for it. Laura will pass this on to Ruth.
4) Finally, Laura led a brief discussion on next steps with the strategic planning effort and a preparing a budget request for 2009. Budgets are currently being prepared and we should put a request in now for any projects the committee would like to undertake in 2009. Those present offered suggestions on requesting funds to finalize the strategic planning effort, funds for the NYS grants we have discussed, and for the mapping effort. Jon Montan cautioned the group to identify more clearly the objectives for the mapping project so that there is a useful outcome.
Members present discussed the status of the strategic planning event. It was recommended that the worksheets from the event be distributed to all members of the committee for their review. It was recommended that we focus September’s meeting as a working session to summarize and identify the outcomes of all inputs. The goal felt it important to finalize this effort by end of 2008. Laura will circulate to the committee and highlight the collective effort in September to summarize the data.
There was also a discussion about revitalizing meeting attendance. Laura will distribute a meeting schedule for the remainder of the year, and invite possible new committee members to join the effort.
Information Technology Advisory Committee
August 28, 2008, 2pm
Location: Human Service Conference Room, Canton, NY
Meeting Minutes
Present: Sign in sheet handed out (Laura Perry has on file)
No minutes to approve from the July 24, 2008 meeting (strategic planning event).
1) Pat McKeown, Executive Director of the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce provided a description of the current plan to use the broadband grant funding received from Senator Clinton. She described the funding source as having a broad goal of improving broadband access to unserved and underserved areas of St. Lawrence County and it is to be used for economic development purposes. The amount of the grant is $196,000 and it is being run through HUD (US Dept of Housing and Urban Development). Ms. McKeown explained that she sought the input of private providers, DANC, SLC Planning Dept and the IT Committee in preparing this plan.
The plan is for the Chamber to partner with DANC, to utilize its existing fiber backbone and to target three communities, those being (1) Hammond/Morristown, (2) Lisbon/Waddington, (3) Norfolk/Lousiville/Brasher. The Chamber will issue an RFP in the winter 2009 which will invite all providers with preference given to local providers, to provide a proposal to provide service to the target communities. The grant will provide matching funds to aid the providers in their proposal to deliver service.
Beyond the ‘who’ and the ‘where’, Ms. McKeown admitted that not much detail on the ‘how’ has been worked through yet. The committee offered suggestions on items to include in the RFP designed to help ensure the end product they are seeking, namely the desire of providing cost competitive universal broadband services to residents and businesses alike. The chamber should take measures to ensure the funding is used to get access for the customers that are costly for providers to serve, and to avoid crème skimming as has been the criticism of such efforts in the past. Laura is to provide those suggestions to Pat in a follow up email. A suggestion was made that if the Chamber’s model is successful, the committee may seek additional funds which could be used in additional communities.
2) Laura mentioned the opportunity with the Shared Services Grant offered by NYS. Several opportunities were identified where the County can serve as a service provider or a central clearinghouse for services at the local municipalities. The Shared Services Grant may be an opportunity to initiate this effort. Carrie Tuttle mentioned a tight time frame for getting local municipalities to commit and to prepare applications. A short list of some of the opportunities include: web services, tech support services/LAN, equipment sharing, equipment purchasing, data backup and storage, and data imaging. Carrie Tuttle also mentioned other possible sources of funding including NYS Archives. Committee should check in with Patty Richie.
3) Laura mentioned the Fort Drum Regional Planning effort and their North Country Telemedicine Project. Two of SLC’s hospitals were left out of the network, Massena Memorial Hospital and Claxton Hepburn, because of their physical distance from Fort Drum. It is thought that if the hospitals are interested in joining the effort, that there may be an opportunity at the Federal level for funding. Phil Deleel was to check into Claxton’s interest in the project. Laura is to contact Massena Memorial to find out if they are interested. Also, Laura is to speak with the director of the Fort Drum organization to see if she can offer assistance.
Pat Turbett offered that NYS Department of Health representative visits SLC each month and may offer some suggestions on funding opportunities for such an effort. His name is Peter Galeriesy and Pat will check to see if he could attend a future meeting to offer some advice.
3) As a suggestion from the legislature, the committee is asked to pass on to the Web Site Committee/Ruth Doyle to enable the new SLC site with a listing of County employee salaries, similar to what is available on http://www.seethroughnewyork.com/. The thought is that this information is FOIL’able, and we should be proactive in providing it before we receive a request for it. Laura will pass this on to Ruth.
4) Finally, Laura led a brief discussion on next steps with the strategic planning effort and a preparing a budget request for 2009. Budgets are currently being prepared and we should put a request in now for any projects the committee would like to undertake in 2009. Those present offered suggestions on requesting funds to finalize the strategic planning effort, funds for the NYS grants we have discussed, and for the mapping effort. Jon Montan cautioned the group to identify more clearly the objectives for the mapping project so that there is a useful outcome.
Members present discussed the status of the strategic planning event. It was recommended that the worksheets from the event be distributed to all members of the committee for their review. It was recommended that we focus September’s meeting as a working session to summarize and identify the outcomes of all inputs. The goal felt it important to finalize this effort by end of 2008. Laura will circulate to the committee and highlight the collective effort in September to summarize the data.
There was also a discussion about revitalizing meeting attendance. Laura will distribute a meeting schedule for the remainder of the year, and invite possible new committee members to join the effort.
Meeting Agenda 08_28_08
St. Lawrence County
Information Technology Advisory Committee
Meeting Agenda
8/28/08, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
2nd fl conf room, Human Services Building, Canton, New York
Information Technology Advisory Committee
Meeting Agenda
8/28/08, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
2nd fl conf room, Human Services Building, Canton, New York
Welcome New Committee Members & Meeting Attendees
No minutes to accept because of the strategic planning session in July
Subcommittee Reports:
G1 - Strategic Plan for Universal Broadband Coverage
Review strategic planning session findings and outcomes
G2 - Broadband Access Map to Establish Baseline & Target Areas
G3 - Grant Funding for Broadband Initiatives
Clinton Broadband Grant
NYS Consolidation Grants
Fort Drum Regional Telemedicine Grant, Federal Grant
G4 - SLC Government Technology Projects
List on new County website all County employees salary information, ask P Turbett for State wide example
Committee is being asked to provide input on County’s current IT structure, operations, and duties/responsibilities as it considers restructuring/consolidation of IT functions, Volunteers? Meeting 9/4 @ 4pm in BOL Chambers
4. New Business:
New Visions
Questions & Discussion
Action Items for Next Meeting
Next Meeting:
Saturday, August 16, 2008
07-03-08 Meeting Minutes
St. Lawrence County
Information Technology Advisory Committee
July 3, 2008, 2pm
Location: Board of Legislators’ Chambers Canton, NY
Meeting Minutes
Present: Sign in sheet handed out (Laura Perry has on file)
Attendees discussed details related to the upcoming strategic planning event.
Information Technology Advisory Committee
July 3, 2008, 2pm
Location: Board of Legislators’ Chambers Canton, NY
Meeting Minutes
Present: Sign in sheet handed out (Laura Perry has on file)
Attendees discussed details related to the upcoming strategic planning event.
- The group clarified that the effort of the strategic planning process was going to carry the title of Strategic Plan for Information Technology in SLC, which is broader than the more narrow description of ‘Universal Broadband Coverage’. Universal Broadband is a part of the larger effort of addressing use of Information Technology.
- Kevin Lynch provided an overview of the agenda of the strategic planning day.
- Meeting attendees finalized questions that will be posed to attendees.
- Committee members are asked to register for the event through the CITEC website.
- Committee members will help facilitate the small group discussions. The strategic planning committee will finalize wording of questions and draft worksheets which will guide committee members in their discussions.
- Meeting attendees provided input and ideas on the way the day would be conducted. Considerable changes were made to the way the day will be conducted. Valuable input was received by all.
- It was learned that Joe Demart is no longer at Newton Falls Paper Mill. It was suggested that LJP contact Steve McBath, Newton Falls IT Director in Joe’s place. LJP agreed.
- LJP reported that she was working on finalizing the report from the survey and would be presenting findings at the strategic planning day.
- The strategic planning committee made plans to meet a couple more times prior to the event to finalize details.
The next full committee will be the Strategic Planning Day on 7/28/08 at the Barben Rooms, at Clarkson University.
Meeting adjourned.
Meeting Agenda 07_03_08
St. Lawrence County
Information Technology Advisory Committee
Meeting Agenda
7/3/08, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Board of Legislators’ Chambers, Canton, New York
Welcome New Committee Members & Meeting Attendees
Review/accept minutes from 5/22/08 meeting
Subcommittee Reports:
G1 - Strategic Plan for Universal Broadband Coverage
Information Technology Advisory Committee
Meeting Agenda
7/3/08, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Board of Legislators’ Chambers, Canton, New York
Welcome New Committee Members & Meeting Attendees
Review/accept minutes from 5/22/08 meeting
Subcommittee Reports:
G1 - Strategic Plan for Universal Broadband Coverage
- Current Registrant List
- Review of Event Agenda
- Review role of committee members
- Prepare workshop materials
G2 - Broadband Access Map to Establish Baseline & Target Areas
- No report
- Map revisions to be completed with J Montan/L Perry/??
- Survey responses to be analyzed P Turbett/L Perry/??
- Final survey report to be prepared
G3 - Grant Funding for Broadband Initiatives
G4 - SLC Government Technology Projects
New Business:
Questions & Discussion
Action Items for Next Meeting
Next Meeting:
Meeting Agenda 05_22_08
St. Lawrence County
Information Technology Advisory Committee
Meeting Agenda
5/22/08, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
2nd Fl Conference Room, Public Safety Building, Canton, New York
Welcome New Committee Members & Meeting Attendees
Review/accept minutes from 4/27/08 meeting
Subcommittee Reports:
G1 - Strategic Plan for Universal Broadband Coverage
Status of strategic planning event; i.e. invite letter, invitee list, new date, format
G2 - Broadband Access Map to Establish Baseline & Target Areas
J Montan L Perry to report on survey submissions and map update
G3 - Grant Funding for Broadband Initiatives
Update on Newton Falls proj.
G4 - SLC Government Technology Projects
New Business:
Information Technology Advisory Committee
Meeting Agenda
5/22/08, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
2nd Fl Conference Room, Public Safety Building, Canton, New York
Welcome New Committee Members & Meeting Attendees
Review/accept minutes from 4/27/08 meeting
Subcommittee Reports:
G1 - Strategic Plan for Universal Broadband Coverage
Status of strategic planning event; i.e. invite letter, invitee list, new date, format
G2 - Broadband Access Map to Establish Baseline & Target Areas
J Montan L Perry to report on survey submissions and map update
G3 - Grant Funding for Broadband Initiatives
Update on Newton Falls proj.
G4 - SLC Government Technology Projects
New Business:
- Discussion of status of new service deployments in SLC and role of local community in that process (see newspaper article attached)
- Local Government Conference, SUNY Potsdam, Oct 14, 2008
Questions & Discussion
Action Items for Next Meeting
Next Meeting:
Meeting Agenda 03_27_08
St. Lawrence County
Information Technology Advisory Committee
Meeting Agenda
3/27/08, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Claxton Hepburn Hospital, Ogdensburg, New York
(driving directions forthcoming)
1) 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm CEO, Claxton Hepburn to speak on the challenges faced by the
administrator of a small rural hospital with regards to technology
Mayor or City Manager of Ogdensburg to address some of the long and short term goals the city is facing with regards to wireless technology and some of the uses they have in mind
2) 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm Full Committee to convene
a. Welcome New Committee Members & Meeting Attendees
b. Review/accept minutes from 2/28/08 meeting
c. Subcommittee Reports:
G1 - Strategic Plan for Universal Broadband Coverage
G2 - Broadband Access Map to Establish Baseline & Target Areas
G3 - Grant Funding for Broadband Initiatives
G4 - SLC Government Technology Projects
Old Business:
New Business:
Questions & Discussion
Action Items for Next Meeting
Next Meeting: April 27th, 2 pm – 4 pm @ Massena Central School, chaired by Francine Perretta
Information Technology Advisory Committee
Meeting Agenda
3/27/08, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Claxton Hepburn Hospital, Ogdensburg, New York
(driving directions forthcoming)
1) 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm CEO, Claxton Hepburn to speak on the challenges faced by the
administrator of a small rural hospital with regards to technology
Mayor or City Manager of Ogdensburg to address some of the long and short term goals the city is facing with regards to wireless technology and some of the uses they have in mind
2) 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm Full Committee to convene
a. Welcome New Committee Members & Meeting Attendees
b. Review/accept minutes from 2/28/08 meeting
c. Subcommittee Reports:
G1 - Strategic Plan for Universal Broadband Coverage
G2 - Broadband Access Map to Establish Baseline & Target Areas
G3 - Grant Funding for Broadband Initiatives
G4 - SLC Government Technology Projects
Old Business:
New Business:
Questions & Discussion
Action Items for Next Meeting
Next Meeting: April 27th, 2 pm – 4 pm @ Massena Central School, chaired by Francine Perretta
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