Town of Newmarket website getting an overhaul

YorkRegion.com
May 21, 2015
Chris Simon

Newmarket's municipal website is getting a makeover.

Town staff unveiled a new look for newmarket.ca during a recent committee of the whole meeting.

A soft launch will take place over the next few weeks, in an effort to gauge input and tinker with the design. The site will open to the public in early June, town communications officer Amber Chard said.

During the soft launch, the town will open the site to all staff to review, as well as reach out to some of our community stakeholders, she said. "Once we've had the opportunity to garner that feedback, we'll make any necessary modifications."

The revamped site is part of a collaborative effort by the town, Whitchurch-Stouffville and Aurora.

Newmarket is the last of the municipalities to launch a new website and the town spent about $66,000 on the project.

However, Newmarket likely saved about $25,000 to $40,000 by collaborating with the other municipalities, Chard said.

The new design will feature several upgrades over the current site. It will be compatible with mobile devices, desktop computers and laptops. There will be a Google search function and a separate site dedicated to economic development, which will target potential business owners and investors, Chard said.

"We did have significant public feedback in putting together the site map," she said, noting the town held focus groups and a workshop and received more than 100 responses through a survey.

The new design should help residents find what they need in a timely manner, town customer service co-ordinator Jamie Boyle said.

"Garbage, recreation and finding a job are the three top hits on our website," he said. "We want to have them front and centre. You'll be able to register for any number of things right off the front page and find out about what's going on in town. You can register pets or for a marriage licence right off the front page without having to search for it. It'll evolve as we grow."

The Get Involved section, which gives residents information on ways to engage in the community and local government, will also be prominently featured on the new site, Boyle said.

Once launched, the economic development website will be found at businessnewmarket.com.