Athens County might soon replace the virtual bricks and green background that line its website for something a little more accessible and mobile.
During a Tuesday meeting, Athens County Commissioners heard a pitch from Joseph Nagrant, the business development director of web-software company Revize, on potentially giving the county government website a complete makeover.
“The key to success for government websites is to have high visibility,” Nagrant said.
Revize is a Michigan-based company that has designed more than 800 government websites, but the only work it has done so far in Ohio is with Montgomery County, Nagrant said.
If the county decides to move forward in updating the government’s website, there will be new features including: FAQ sections, a rotating photo gallery and different audience sections where visitors, residents and Athens businesses can go to content that is geared specifically for them. This could also drive more revenue for local businesses with increased traffic, Nagrant said.
Nagrant estimated the total cost for the revamp would cost $2,400 yearly, depending on which contract the county decides to sign. However, the decision to revamp the site is still up in the air.
Later in the meeting, the commissioners decided to go forth with a $1 million grant application which, if the county gets it, will help to assist residents in home repair, home ownership assistance and rental home repair. After discussing the matter last week, The City of Athens, City of Nelsonville and Athens County have all applied for the grant under one application.
@hannahmyang
hy135010@ohiou.edu
This article originally appeared in print with the headline "County eyes new look for website."
