Town creates interactive website for residents
Date: 2/28/2014
By Carley Dangona
carley@thereminder.comAGAWAM – After six years, the website for the town of Agawam underwent a major overhaul to provide a more user friendly, accessible site.
The updated site (
www.agawam.ma.us) features a pictorial slideshow of various landmarks around town on the homepage, RSS feed subscriptions, a central location various documents such as agendas and forms, an online payment system, a work request line and more.
The $5,000 redesign began in the fall of 2013 and the finished product went live on Feb. 25.
“This is the day and age of technology,” Mayor Richard Cohen said. “Everyone utilizes and understands it, so it was important [for the town to meet the needs of its residents].”
Keith LeBeau, president and CEO of QScend Technologies, the company that designed the site, said, “Call it a smart website. As a visitor switches to viewing the site on a computer to a tablet or smartphone, the website responds by providing the visitor with the best user experience possible.”
Jeffrey Hulbert, Information Technology director for the town, explained that each department head updates the corresponding web page, rather than having a singular webmaster doing all of the work.
“I’m very pleased with the final outcome,” Cohen said. He stated that the site is directly linked to the town’s Twitter and Facebook accounts and said that overall the site is “more friendly and transparent.”
He said the improved site helps Agawam promote itself to town’s best ability.
Hulbert stated that the town reviewed numerous websites and “took bits and pieces” from each to create its own. He cited navigation as the most improved feature of the website.
“I love the fact that we now have a slideshow on the home page to showcase the town,” Hulbert said, expressing a desire to seek pictures from the Agawam Historical Society as well as residents in the near future.
