When Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner ran for re-election in 2002, one of the campaign promises he made was to bring the township into the computer age by producing a comprehensive web site with general information about the town and its various departments.
There was only one problem: Finding the person who could put all the information together and make the web site work.
Turner said there were a handful of volunteers who were willing to compile all the information and put it into a web site, but they didn’t carry out the plan to fruition.
"It was a goal of the Township Council and me to make as much information about the township available to the public," Turner said. "We put out a directory last year and we’ve done other things in mailings. But we never provided the necessary information on a web site. It’s definitely the modern means of communication and we definitely had a need."
Turner said that he was impressed with the web site that was comprised for the Weehawken School District by technology teacher Brian Calligy two years ago and wanted to have something similar for the town.
Al Berg, a member of the Weehawken Volunteer First Aid Squad and a devoted member of the Weehawken Historical Commission, had already established web sites for both organizations, including an extensive web site for the Historical Commission, filled with images of Weehawken’s history.
"I knew that Al did excellent prior work for the ambulance squad and historical commission," Turner said. "Both web sites have been very successful and filled with solid information. So we asked Al if he would do the same thing for us."
Berg was elated to help. "Although it’s my job, it’s more of a hobby for me," said Berg, who works for the New York Stock Exchange doing computer security. "When Mayor Turner came to me, I thought it was a great idea. When I first did the Historical Commission’s web site, I got such positive feedback from all over the country. People really like it and use it, so doing one for the township was the next logical thing to do."
Berg was hired by the township as a private contractor to construct and maintain the web site, which is located at www.weehawken-nj.us.
The web site, which was officially introduced at Wednesday’s regularly scheduled Township Council meeting, features all the important information about the township, like phone numbers and information of all the town’s departments, as well as a business directory, a calendar of events, news about the town and photographs.
"There are so many new people who have come into town recently and need to know about everything that goes on," Berg said. "Just knowing about recycling and parking regulations is tough enough. I’m trying to get people to see all the different things going on in town. It’s a one-stop shopping kind of thing, getting all the information at one site."
Berg said that he worked in conjunction with acting Township Clerk Rola Dabhoul in compiling the information that went on the site.
Berg also personally took all of the pictures that appear on the site, including the recent shots of the Weehawken Day Festival that also appeared in the Weehawken Reporter.
"It’s taken a lot of time and work to get it started, but now, it’s essential to keep it updated," Berg said. "If people can’t get to Town Hall to find the information they’re looking for, they can find it here."
Turner said it is imperative to keep the information on the web site updated.
"Many governmental web sites are not updated properly," Turner said. "We have to keep this one updated as best as possible. It will be monitored daily and updated as needed. Al has done a wonderful, excellent job. Everyone is happy. We’re encouraging everyone in the town to click on the web site. It just adds to the means of communication to get information to the public."
Berg said if anyone has information that they would like to see posted on the web site, they can contact him via e-mail at Al@weehawken-nj.us. Residents can also forward any information to Dabhoul’s office in Town Hall as well.