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Air Products to Boost Allentown's System: Company Official to Spend Year Looking at City's Computers.

Posted on: Thursday, 1 June 2006, 21:00 CDT

By Scott Kraus, The Morning Call, Allentown, Pa.

Jun. 1--Air Products and Chemicals of Trexlertown has agreed to provide the struggling city of Allentown with a short-term loan -- of computer expertise.

Charles J. Versaggi Jr., the company's director of applications development, will go to work for the city in July for one year with the goal of improving its fragmented and outdated computer and Internet systems.

Air Products will pick up the tab for Versaggi's salary and benefits.

Versaggi, a member of the Allentown School Board whose expertise is in e-commerce, said he would like city residents and businesses to be able to file for permits, contact city officials and access other city services through the Internet.

"There is no reason there should not be an electronic work process in Allentown," Versaggi said.

Versaggi has worked at Air Products for 30 years, helping the company set up its own e-commerce systems and overseeing a 60-person customer service operation -- two assignments he said helped prepare him to work with the city.

He will serve as the city's "chief information officer on loan," reviewing the city's computer systems, developing an information technology plan, examining the city's technology-related contracts and looking for ways to save money by working with Lehigh County and the Allentown School District.

The arrangement is not typical for Air Products, said Kassie Hilgert, the company's manager of community relations and philanthropy.

But after Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski requested the company's help, Air Products felt it had a unique opportunity to help better the Lehigh Valley's largest city, she said.

"Allentown is the third-largest city in the state and it's in our back yard," she said.

The "executive on loan" idea is a product of the government efficiency and technology committee of Pawlowski's transition team.

Committee members said that as they looked at Allentown's information technology and computer systems, they quickly realized that the city lacked a unifying technology vision.

"The city has some technology problems," said Charlie Thiel, a Republican member of the committee and former City Council candidate. "We wanted to bring things up to a level where they serve the people better. There is a real lack of direction."

Committee member Bruce Taggart, Lehigh University's vice provost for library and technology services, said there is no reason multiple city services shouldn't be available to residents and businesses on-line.

Without a quality Internet presence, the city is at a competitive disadvantage, he said.

"E-government is available today in most mid-sized cities," said Taggart, who is Pawlowski aide Bar Johnston's husband.

Allentown's Web site features a variety of downloadable documents, such as the home rule charter, administrative code and a list of contracts that are out for bids.

But there is no way to e-mail individual city officials, request city services or apply for permits. The site does allow for on-line tax and water bill payments.

The Web site lists job openings, for example, but rather than allowing applicants to e-mail their resumes or fill out an application online, directs them to apply in person at the city's human resources office.

Thiel said improving technology also would save the city money by creating efficiencies.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Morning Call, Allentown, Pa.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: The Morning Call, Allentown, Pennsylvania

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