White Plains’ effort to bridge the “digital divide” became real Monday evening when Mayor Joseph Delfino opened the first Community Technology Center for White Plains. The center is open at the Thomas Slater Center, Martin Luther King Boulevard, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 AM to 9:30 PM.
The Mayor announced that two more CTC’s are planned to open in October: at the Eastview School in October, when the Youth Bureau opens and at Mercy College.
CHARLOTTE, AGE 9, TRIES OUT A SHINY NEW GATEWAY AT THOMAS H. SLATER COMMUNITY TECHNOLOGY CENTER: 12 Gateway computers and 3 Hewlett Packard laser printers have been installed by the city on the second floor of the Thomas H. Slater Center, as Mayor Delfino’s first “Community Technology Center” opened Monday evening. The Center is open 8:30 AM to 9 PM, Monday through Friday. WPCNR PHOTO
The Mercy College facility will serve Hispanic adults and children, in a joint effort between the City, Mercy College and Centro Hispano. These two additional Community Technology Centers will give the city three places where citizens and children without access to computers can learn and develop their computer skills. All three have been developed in just seven months.
Seven months later: 3 centers emerge
The opening of the Slater CTC Monday is the culmination of Mayor Delfino’s concern about the “Digital Divide,” one of the priorities he wanted to address in his Phase II Economic Development Plan. A task force of city leaders and corporate resource persons was appointed by the Mayor last January to explore ways city resources could work with the community to connect the city’s low-income residents to computer technology and the internet. The Task Force identified needs and suitable locations.
City funds it with Community Development Money
Kathleen Gunn of the Mayor’s Economic Development Office supervised the implementation of the Slater CTC. She reports the cost was $45,000, paid by city Community Development Funds, an expenditure approved by the Common Council. On hand, for the occasion were Robert Greer, Rita Malmud, and Larry Delgado, representing the Common Council.
Gunn told WPCNR the city purchased 12 Gateway computers, three Hewlett-Packard laser printers, computer furniture and refurbished the second floor of the Slater Center to house the computer bank.
City departments handle design, labor, infrastructure
She reports the city wired the computers and retrofitted the electrical and communications infrastructure, and designed a security system for the computers. The City Department of Public Works performed the design and construction. She singled out Leonard Lolis, City Information Systems Director, for his role in purchasing the equipment and designing the computer bank.
“THE DIGITAL DIVIDE WILL NOT REPAIR ITSELF,” declared Mayor Joseph Delfino in dedicating the Thomas H. Slater Community Technology Center. The opening of the city’s first such facility is the product of a task force that identified needs, and created a Center that is the city response to the “digital divide.” WPCNR PHOTO
Mayor praises community effort
“I’m pleased and proud so many people came out tonight,” Mayor Delfino said Monday evening at opening ceremonies at the Thomas Slater Center. “It is a great day for Slater, thanks to the efforts of so many citizens, we’ve finally been successful. The ‘Digital Divide’ will not repair itself. It requires the commitment of local community leaders to work together to implement and plan proactive programs and services to address this critical issue.”
A Mayoral Priority Issue
“I made the commitment to address the lack of income availability of families, to partner with organizations, to help our disadvantaged youth compete in schools and the work place by having the opportunity to learn the technical skills to compete professionally. I appointed a Task Force to explore how to do this, and it’s just wonderful to see it come together tonight.”
KATHLEEN GUNN, COORDINATOR OF THE SLATER CTC, WHO “HONCHO-ED” THE PROJECT. Ms. Gunn is seen handing out fliers announcing computer hours to youngsters trooping upstairs to use the center. WPCNR PHOTO
The Mayor praised Kathleen Gunn’s efforts:
“ I want to single out Kathleen Gunn who dedicated herself to this project. She believed in this program. Thanks to her efforts we strove to open two centers this year and we’re going to come very close,” Delfino continued. Then he introduced Howard Hawkins, Head of the Task Force.
Task Force determines Community Needs. City Implements
Hawkins said, “This is the way a city Task Force is supposed to work.”
He said: “The task force sourced state, city, and school resources, and heads of neighborhoods to identify and implement a program that would single out who needed computer access, where computer technology centers were needed, and which minorities were most at risk.”
Not just a Black and White Problem
“We found, “ Hawkins said. “That the Digital Divide goes beyond the black or white issue. It affects each of us in the community. It makes sure we attempt business to community technical help to all: senior citizens, minorities, new immigrants.”
Hawkins introduced Task Forcer, Terence McGuire, who commented, “It’s very important to use more professional services to contribute in ways to frame work for others to follow…and impart a lot of knowledge. I know its (CTC facilities) the right thing to do and I’m glad to be a part of it.”
School District backs the initiative
Superintendent of Schools Saul Yanofsky underlined the need for CTC Centers: “The problem is kids are in schools 6 or 7 hours a day and they go home. Home to homes with computers and homes without computers. The District has helped provide computer access at 86 DeKalb and the Library. When I heard of the City’s committee, and spoke with Howard and Terry, I concluded it was a great opportunity for the District to partner. This is a terrific opportunity. If there’s anything more the school district can do to make these things happen, my inclination is to do it.”
Mayor returns to his working together mantra
Mayor Delfino concluded the official part of the opening with repeating what he has been saying on such occasions: “We just need to continue to work together to make things happen.”
FUTURE TECHIES EXPLORE THE WEB MONDAY NIGHT: The sleek new hardware fascinated some 20 youngsters trying out Lifesavers.com and various music websites on the new computers. WPCNR PHOTO
For seniors, single moms, jobseekers, too
The new Computer Technology Center at the Slater is working out a schedule for various community groups to use the new computer facilities. The CTC is reserved for students in the late afternoon from three to 6 PM. Evenings, 7 PM to 9 PM are reserved for teens. Youth Bureau staff, according to Frank Williams, Youth Bureau Director, will supervise student use of the computers at all times.
Charlie Booth, Executive Director of the Slater Center, said morning and afternoon Head Start program youngsters would use the Computer Center. He is in process, working out times when single mothers, job-searchers, and senior citizens may have exclusive use of the center. For more information, please contact the Slater Center .
CTC Centers Ahead
The next proposed White Plains CTC is the Eastview School where instruction and software will be available in Spanish and English. The city of White Plains has also worked in partnershipo with Centro Hispano and Mercy College to create a program for Hispanic adults at Mercy’s downtown White Plains campus.
The Mayor’s office is seeking volunteers willing to instruct or staff the computer centers. Qualified individuals will possess computer skills and be able to work with a diverse population at different skill levels. If interested, you may contact the Mayor’s Office at 914-422-1411.
