Now, Gloucester's virtual infrastructure is ready for repairs, too.
Brown, outdated and about as easy for newcomers to navigate as the city's downtown intersections, Gloucester's municipal Web site is about to be rebuilt by a Kansas Internet company whose clients include the communities of Woburn, Missoula, Mont., and Maui.
The city has signed a three-year, $41,000 contract with CivicPlus to have the company design and maintain the new Web site, which will include a number of new features that will free residents from having to make trips to City Hall.
Based on Web sites CivicPlus has done for other communities, the new Gloucester page is bound to be a bright, graphics-heavy portal with new bells and whistles such as blogs and Twitter links.
"The major key is content, and for us having (individual city departments) take responsibility," said Mike Wells, the city information technology chief who ran the old Web site. "There are a lot more tools to automate things, and an easier interface."
A user-friendly interface was not one of the attributes used to describe the old Web site, which had been operating on the same platform since 2003.
While it has improved significantly in the past year — and includes added functions like Google searches and online assessors records — the old Web site is still known for small-print buttons, multiple scroll bars and a pedestrian color scheme.
To make sure the new site evokes the real Gloucester, the city is asking residents to submit photos of identifiable local images and sites.
On the practical side, Treasurer Jeffrey Town said the new online site would expand the number of things residents can do online, such as pay property taxes, excise bills and water and sewer bills.
The new site also has the option to include document archives, create event calendars with automatic alerts, news sections and opinion polls.
Towne said he is interested in starting his own blog, where he can discuss subjects like interest rates and ways to stay off the city's tow list.
While it is not expected to result in $41,000 worth of savings in the short-term, the new Web site is projected to eventually save money by reducing the amount of live customer service many city departments now handle.
The city chose the CivicPlus bid out of six it received for the Web site contract.
The new site is expected to be up and running by the summer.
Wells noted that, when it was new, the Gloucester Web site had been one of the better municipal pages and only cost $50 a year.
"In its day, it was a good Web site," Wells said. "Now, it's old. Honestly, I won't miss it."
Patrick Anderson can be reached at 978-283-7000, x3455, or at panderson@gloucestertimes.com.
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