The city of Soldotna’s website has received a makeover.
The new site, which launched last week, offers a more modern version of its predecessor. It also has a new address, www.soldotna.org.
“(The site is) full of increased functionality designed to connect you with the information and contact information that you need to move forward,” according to the new site.
Development of the site took a little more than a year, according to Austin Johnson, planning and GIS technician for the city of Soldotna. It was created by Vision Internet, a California-based company that has produced more than 500 government websites in the United States and Canada, according to its website.
Johnson said the city was due for a new website.
“(The old site) looked like it had been around for a couple of decades,” he said.
Aside from being more aesthetically pleasing, the new site provides several other benefits, including easier navigation and social media connectivity.
“The coolest feature is the calendar,” he said. “We can add to it, and people can filter by category.”
The site’s calendar allows people to add city meetings to their personal iCalendar, Yahoo Calendar or Google Calendar. Johnson said the calendar not only saves people time, it will help advertise community events. People will also be able to access meeting agendas more easily.
The new site is also designed to run on mobile devices, including phones and tablets.
Johnson said the new site has been running smoothly so far, and there haven’t been any unusual problems.
“There’s always that learning curve trying to learn how to use the software, but it’s a huge step forward,” Johnson said. “I’m really excited about it.”
The city hasn’t received a lot of feedback about the site, but Johnson said that’s normal, because most people don’t check a government website on a regular basis. However, with a modern site, coupled with social media, Johnson said more and more people will know what’s happening in the city.
“(The website) is a really good communication tool,” he said. “People have the right to know what’s going on with their city government, and this is a good way to facilitate that.”
Reach Ian Foley at ian.foley@peninsulaclarion.com.
