By Ashley M. Casey
Staff Writer
The town of Lysander is in talks with CGI Communications to produce a series of videos meant to attract potential residents, tourists and businesses to the town.
Supervisor Joe Saraceni said at the work session preceding the May 18 town board meeting that there would be no cost to the town for CGI to produce five videos on the following topics:
• Welcome (an introductory video)
• Education
• Healthy living
• Homes and real estate
• Community organizations
Lysander’s agreement with CGI would last for three years. Saraceni said that when he was mayor of Baldwinsville, the village signed an agreement for the production of promotional videos.
The agreement would also allow for some live streaming, uploaded videos and real-time alerts, such as road closures.
In exchange for the videos, the town would link to CGI’s productions on the homepage of its website and give CGI exclusive streaming video rights for the community video program. CGI also could solicit advertising from local businesses.
While CGI videographers would film scenes around Lysander, the town will submit content ideas and assist with the script.
“We can take as much control and ownership of the writing as we want,” Saraceni said.
Deputy Supervisor Bob Geraci said it might be more effective for the towns of Lysander and Van Buren to team up with the village of Baldwinsville to create promotional videos for the greater B’ville area.
“Challenge these people to come up with a comprehensive story for us,” Geraci said.
Saraceni said Lysander has businesses and features that distinguish it from its neighboring municipalities.
“We have 31 miles of shoreline — we’ve got a lot to talk about and brag about,” he said.
At the town board meeting, residents did not seem as enthused about the CGI agreement as the supervisor did, though residents Fred Burtch and Jim Stirushnik said they liked Geraci’s idea of creating videos that encompass the greater Baldwinsville area.
“What it doesn’t cost you, you get what you pay for, and you don’t want to pay anything,” Stirushnik said. “It would be much more productive to promote the community rather than our own little bailiwick.”
Stirushnik asked if the town would gain any revenue from clicks or advertising on CGI’s videos. Saraceni said that would not be the case.
“They’re using our good name. We should get paid for it,” Stirushnik said.
Resident Victoria Shires said the town should ask for pre-approval of advertising in its agreement with CGI or ask for stipulations regarding who may advertise.
“So if the local KKK would like to advertise on our site and give CGI money, we would allow it?” Shires asked.
“That’s a good question,” Saraceni said. “I don’t know that we have discretion as far as who they go to [for advertising].”
The agreement states that the town may review and ask for up to three revisions of video content but does not mention advertising.
“If this company is giving us this service for free in order to just take in whatever money they want, it seems as though that’s something you ought to write into a contract that the town of Lysander would have final say over all potential advertisers on our website,” Shires said. “Essentially, that would be the town endorsing whoever is advertising there.”
Former Town Councilor Melinda Shimer asked about the absence of the video item from both the work session and meeting agendas. Saraceni said in the future, last-minute agenda items would be announced before citizens’ comments.
The board tabled a motion that would allow Saraceni to sign the CGI contract so the town can review the agreement in light of resident concerns.
CGI’s videos promoting other municipalities such as Rochester can be viewed at mayors.tv. Click on numbers 3 and 4 on the homepage to watch the videos.
