Town Introduces New Communication System

Town of Huntington officials held a press conference Tuesday to announce a new citizen request management system that they say will improve communication with Town Hall through smart phones and home computers. 

Town representatives said the new system, dubbed Huntington At Your Service, will allow residents to make requests and track progress, whether by smart phone message, a phone call or sent letter, and reduce the number of people who get transferred from department to department when contacting Town Hall.

"We know we have to pick up and meet technology at the crossroads," said Town Tuesday.

The new system will provide an opportunity for residents to more efficiently identify areas of concern to town departments, according to Petrone.

Huntington Town Councilman Mark Cuthbertson said the system is designed to leverage technology to benefit town residents.

"Our residents should have the ability to report problems anytime, 365 days a year, 24 hours and day," said Cuthbertson. "That's what we are looking to do here."

Cuthbertson said the new system should improve the desire of constituents to contact Town Hall.

"We want to know if there's a pothole, we want to know if a light is out," said Cuthertson. "We are at the service of the people of this town."

Citizens will be able to communicate with town officials on smart phones when the program goes live March 1. Town officials said the new system will be available to iPhone users only at first and to Android users at a later date.

Information provided to will automatically be routed to the right desk for action, according to the town.

A map feature will allow citizens to show the exact location of specific issues and send photos for speedier action on requests, according to town officials.

At a cost of $16,000, Petrone said Connecticut-based QScend Technologies of Waterbury was awarded a two-year contract to implement the program which will be integrated into the Town of Huntington website, which has also has been scheduled for a future upgrade. 

Training sessions held over the past few weeks are helping town employees practice with the system and work out any flaws before it goes public next month.

Also on hand Tuesday was Town Board members Susan Berland and Mark Mayoka. Town Councilman Eugene Cook did not attend the press conference but said through a legislative aid that he supports the new program.

Details of the program, including video introductions, will be available on the town website, Facebook and YouTube at a later date, according to town officials.