Old Westbury trustees on Tuesday unveiled a new village website and first-ever digital newsletter designed to strengthen communication and preparedness for local residents.
“You can sign up for the newsletter or leave your cell phone information which is critically important for emergency purposes,” said Trustee Leslie Fastenberg, who worked with Deputy Mayor Cory Baker and John Zayer of PRMG on the project.
Fastenberg, who was elected to the board in September 2015, said the cell phone information would only be used for emergency communication.
Old Westbury Mayor Fred Carillo praised Fastenberg for spearheading the project. He said the website and newsletter would streamline communication with residents.
“She’s worked very, very hard on it,” Carillo said.
The new website, which was designed by PRMG, can be accessed from various mobile devices and platforms, village officials said.
Residents were encouraged to familiarize themselves with the functions of the site, which can be accessed on mobile devices even during a blackout or power outage.
The website can also be read in any language, said Fastenberg, noting that nearly one fifth of the village’s population was born outside the United States.
Fastenberg said the website would also be particularly attractive to a village population that includes university students, millennials, and tech-savvy residents of Old Westbury, with 52 percent of the population in the 10-34 age range.
“What’s so exciting about this is if you have a down tree, a power outage, a gas leak, or something suspicious, there’s an opportunity on the homepage for a resident to make a notification about that,” she said.
Fastenberg said residents will also be able to document potential FAA-related noise complaints that residents may have.
Residents were also encouraged to follow The Village of Old Westbury Facebook page for updates and audience analytics purposes, and to increase open communication about local happenings.
Fastenberg, a 30-year resident of Old Westbury is no stranger to emergency response and preparedness.
She founded and served as CEO of Ice-Qube Preparedness Solutions and collaborated in the past as a coalition member with FEMA.
