Revamped Town Internet Website Now Online 

By Andrew Gorosko

The town has revised and expanded its website on the Internet, providing more detailed and timely information about Newtown to users of the worldwide computer network, according to Jan Andras, the town’s web coordinator.

The new Internet address for the town’s website is: www.newtown-ct.gov/.

The revised website will allow the town to continuously update content, providing more timely information than was possible on the town’s previous website, Ms Andras said.

The new homepage for the town website contains navigation buttons providing access to information on Newtown, important local places, the town government, local agencies, and public meetings.

Also, the website contains Internet hyperlinks to the public schools, the public library, the town health district, the Economic Development Commission, the Chamber of Commerce, the Housatonic Valley Economic Development Partnership, the Newtown Rotary, the Housatonic Valley Council of Elected Officials, voter information, the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, 2000 census information, The Newtown Bee, the regional tourism district, and the Newtown Meetinghouse.

Hyperlinks also are provided for the state government, state representatives, the state senator, the  two US senators from Connecticut, and the area’s US representative.

First Selectman Herbert Rosenthal said the revamped town website should make it simpler for the public to obtain information about the town.

“I certainly think it will be a lot easier to work with” than the previous town website, he said.

The website will provide a good base of municipal information to the general public, offering data that is often sought by the public from town officials, he said.

The first selectman encouraged residents to use the expanded website.

Planning Documents

The website contains links for two major town planning documents –– the Town Plan of Conservation and Development, and the Fairfield Hills Master Plan.

Also, the website provides hyperlinks for the town’s Parks and Recreation Department, including department programs, downloadable registration forms, and its calendar.

Ms Andras said that the meeting minutes of past Board of Selectmen meetings will be available for public review on the website, as will the meeting minutes from other major town agencies.

Eventually, the full text of the town charter will be posted on the website, including a search function, to facilitate content searches.

The content of Who’s Who in Newtown will be listed on the website. That document, which is published by the town clerk’s office, lists information on local public officials.

 Eventually, the town hopes to post information from its Geographic Information System (GIS) database on the town website, Ms Andras said.

The town has been working on revising the municipal website for the past six months, she said. The town has had a variety of websites during the past decade, but the latest version is the clearly the most comprehensive one, she said.

Each of the 13 town departments that are participating in the website has a staff member designated to oversee their department’s Internet content, Ms Andras said.

The town has entered an agreement with The Virtual Town Hall of Portland, Maine, for Internet services. The Virtual Town Hall provides Internet services for small and medium-sized communities.