St. Mary’s Board of County Commissioners met Tuesday, July 13 and learned about two important web-based upgrades in the works. Information Technology Director Bob Kelley, along with those involved in the planning process, presented a “refreshed” county website design. Kelley explained that the new website is more user-centric, featuring a ‘How can we help you?’ box on the home page and each department’s page that will help people access the 7400 pages of information more quickly. Commissioner President Jack Russell told the committee, “Job well done,” and said he was excited about the much-needed upgrade. Click here to see the improvements.
The St. Mary’s Tourism Division of the Department of Economic and Community Development also shared their plan to join the web revolution. With funds saved from decreased welcome center operation, Tourism sought the board’s approval to move forward with an electronic destination marketing plan.
“This is what our industry needs,” said Carolyn Laray, Tourism Division Manager. Since many take to the web to make vacation and travel plans these days, the move to provide a well-designed website showcasing all of the great destinations in St. Mary’s stands to increase tourism to the area. Tourism’s Rebecca Deprey said once the new website is unveiled, they would like to look into mobile apps and e-book guides to keep up with popular technology.
Commissioner Dan Raley said, “Monies spent on this will be much more effective than print ads,” and urged for project completion sooner than later.
“This is our top priority in tourism,” said DECD Director Bob Schaller.
The BOCC urged residents to participate in the Buy Local Challenge week and the upcoming Savor St. Mary’s Restaurant Week through a proclamation. A kick-off cookout featuring locally-grown foods will be held at the Governor’s mansion Thursday. Commissioner Tommy Mattingly suggested supporting local farmers is not only a healthy choice, but especially important during this dry season.
The board met the new President of St. Mary’s College of Md., Dr. Joseph R. Urgo, who explained his goals for keeping the well-renowned liberal arts college accessible by keeping tuition costs down and revenue for scholarships high. “We want the best and brightest kids, regardless of what their parents do for a living,” Urgo said, adding environmental and financial sustainability are also a priority.
The board held a brief work session to hear the Metropolitan Commission Task Force’s recommendations. Among those recommendations were a decision to leave METCOM a non-County entity, an intensified review of its capital budget and stipulat
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