New Township Website Promises Better Connectivity at Lower Cost

It’s only a few days old, but the look and feel of Radnor Township’s new website has already generated positive feedback for coordinator James Doling, including, most importantly, from the very people the new design will help.

“Everybody in the office who has been working on the new site have been passing along compliments, which I appreciate,” said Doling, “but I also heard from a few residents who said they like the new page. Those are the people I really need to hear.”

Doling, the township’s Cable, Web and Communications Director, wants visitors to the site to find information more easily, as well as set up their own personal preferences that will cater to their needs.

“When they sign in, a dashboard pops up with the latest news and information,” said Doling. “They can tailor the dashboard to highlight the things they are most interested, such as parks and recreation news.”

The new site design was produced through a contract with Civic Plus, with the township paying the Manhattan, Kan.-based firm approximately $31,400 a year for three years, then going down to $19,000 also for the fourth year and an opportunity to make any upgrades.

“That initial cost includes everything including the design and setup of the new site and the migration of information from the old site,” said Doling. “They did a great job of moving almost everything over. We change some of the section names, but they still found the information and put it in the right spot.”

The new site also consolidates the township’s email alerts and updates, combining emergency notifications, department information and a monthly email newsletter.

“We had three separate sources providing those services,” said Doling. “By streamlining with Civic Plus, we are saving about $10,000 a year.”