Cleburne website receives makeover

Mar 01, 2013 (Cleburne Times-Review - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Work is under way to spruce up, expand and improve Cleburne's city website.

Cleburne Information Technology Manager Willie Resto unveiled the site's reconfigured homepage during Tuesday's council meeting and discussed updates and changes. Additional work on pages and links remains to be done, Resto said, adding that the new site is scheduled to go live on or about May 1.

Resto created a committee in November to gather website wants and needs from representatives of the various city departments as well as representatives from the Cleburne Chamber of Commerce.

One objective involved changing the aesthetics of the site and employing brighter and more pleasing colors to better catch the eye.

"Another goal was to make the site more user friendly," Resto said. "Modernize it on one hand, but also retain elements of Cleburne's history. The main objective was to make the site more user friendly. That's two-fold, focusing on the needs of residents living here while also looking at people elsewhere who are interested in coming to Cleburne or learning more about the city, and in both cases to make the new site more interactive." Some of the new additions include a search box and a "How Do I ..." link.

"Say someone needs to know how to apply for a permit," Resto said. "They can click that link, which will have answers to that and other questions." Other additions include a "concerns and kudos" and a "notify me link." "If citizens have comments or concerns they can write them there," Resto said. "Also if there's a problem, like a pothole in the street, they can post those there and we'll get them to the appropriate city department. They can also post there if they see a city employee doing a good job.

"The notify link will allow citizens to sign up and receive by email things like council agendas, bid packages, city job opening listings." Another link provides local weather information. Other links and iPhone apps available through the site will provide listings of businesses and restaurants in town as well as information on city facilities. Resto said future updates will allow users to make online reservations for city facilities such as the Cleburne Conference Center.

The new site's homepage will also provide links to sites for Splash Station, Cleburne Golf Links, CCC and Cleburne's Economic Development office. Work on those sites and additional aspects of the Cleburne city site is ongoing, Resto said, and should complete by the beginning of May.

Cleburne Chamber of Commerce President Cathy Marchel called the city's new website exciting.

"I think it looks great, and very user friendly," Marchel said. "The team that was working on that did a fantastic job creating a site that's very user friendly and something that's going to better meet the needs and wants of the community." ___ (c)2013 the Cleburne Times-Review (Cleburne, Texas) Visit the Cleburne Times-Review (Cleburne, Texas) at www.cleburnetimesreview.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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