By Susan MacEachron

As of July 1, the town website has been redesigned and is under town management for the first time. Before now, the website had been managed by various members of the community for the benefit of the town. Now the Website Committee is a town committee, and notices of monthly meetings will be posted on the website.

The relaunched website has improved navigation and includes a clear distinction between municipal and community meetings and events, with easier access to frequently visited pages.

The site now has a search function and an expanded directory of town organizations and businesses. The website provides the ability to submit events for inclusion in the town calendar and newsletter.

For everyone interested in Norfolk, the town newsletter is a free weekly publication written by Kathryn Boughton and includes community and town news and events. One can sign up for the newsletter on the website home page. The site includes a new section on the history of Norfolk, and the committee plans future functionality upgrades to the “living in Norfolk” and “visiting Norfolk” sections of the site.

As with so many aspects of life in Norfolk, the website is the result of the work of many volunteers. It evolved from a few pages of lists to a site created by former Norfolk resident Mary Fanette around 2006 after she took a few web design classes. In 2015, the Coalition for Sound Growth (CSG) took the website under its wing and engaged a professional web designer. One key upgrade at that juncture was the ability for users to create and update pages without needing a professional webmaster. The image of the basket at the end of the site is a tribute to Vint Lawrence, in recognition of the important role he and CSG played in the website’s development. 

Since last fall, Sue Frisch, a longtime member of the website committee, has led the effort to redesign the website. The wish list created by the committee was executed by web designer Jim Jasper.

Suggestions and submissions of photos are welcome and should be sent to webmaster@norfolkct.org. There are guidelines for photo submissions on the site. Event postings should be sent to events@norfolkct.org.