Date: Fri 02-Aug-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

EDC-Web-home-page

Full Text:

Town Makes Plans For Its Own Web Home Page

B Y A NDREW G OROSKO

The town is moving ahead with plans to create its own "home page" on the World

Wide Web section of the Internet.

At a recent Economic Development Commission (EDC) meeting, EDC members

unanimously approved plans to create the home page through which computer

users with access to the Internet get information and view graphics about

Newtown.

EDC member Rick LaBash explained to EDC members the considerations involved in

creating a town web site on the rapidly growing world wide computer network.

The EDC wants to create a home page to attract people to Newtown from an

economic development standpoint, with an emphasis on bringing new tenants to

the Commerce Road business area and to the vacant Fairfield Hills campus.

Information to be posted on the Newtown home page will be reviewed by

Elizabeth Stocker, the town's community development director. The information

will be updated as needed to keep the data fresh.

Residents who don't have a personal computer with access to the Internet would

be able to view the Newtown home page or any other Internet sites on the Booth

Library's computers.

An Internet service company known as ZipLink has agreed to provide Newtown

with connections to the Internet for two years for free. After the two-year

period, a monthly service charge of $75 to $100 is anticipated. Newtown

resident Gurdev Sethi of ZipLink recently explained Internet details to EDC

members. Sethi, the company's Internet business products development manager,

will help the town get connected to the Internet.

Also, town resident Ann Hearn, the software development manager for Daprex,

Inc, will advise the town on the Internet project.

The town is now seeking approval for an Internet "domain name" or computer

address which will allow computer users with Internet access to view the

contents of the Newtown home page. A domain name is an exclusive-use address

for gaining access to a home page. A domain name hasn't yet been granted to

the town.

After the town establishes a home page based on economic development

information, other computer links would be developed to provide information

about town government meetings and recreational programs, among other local

topics.

The Internet project will allow the town to monitor how often computer users

view the town's web page.