By Adam Smith

The North Jefferson News



Those looking for information about the City of Gardendale now have a more user-friendly Web site at their disposal.

City leaders provided details about the remodeled Web site this week. While the site’s address (www.cityofgardendale.com) hasn’t changed, leaders said the new site is much more user friendly and will save the city money.

Ward 3 Councilman Alvin Currington said he began talking with Mayor Othell Phillips about updating the city’s site shortly after taking office in November.

“The previous site was really hard to navigate and if you were looking for something, you really had to look for it,” Currington said. “We’ve tried to take all the pertinent information and make it easy to find.”

The city hired Lance Moore of New Albany, Miss., to design the site for a one-time fee of $1,800. The city was paying $200 a month for the old site.

The new site will also allow department heads and city workers to update the site themselves, as opposed to sending information to a site manager.

Moore said it’s taken several months to design the site because it contains several features the old one did not, including a community calendar and more information about specific departments.

“We really wanted the community to be able to find items at a glance and interact with the departments through forums,” Moore said. “Now visitors also have an easier way to contact the mayor and councilors.”

Currington said the site can also be a valuable tool for those looking to relocate to the city or for recent transplants.

“Most people who are busy during the day may remember something they’d like to know at night, like how we’re set up for trash pick-up or when they can have their limbs picked up,” he said. “If they can’t find an answer, they can shoot an e-mail to someone in that department.”

Mayor Othell Phillips said the site is also a valuable tool for potential business who want to know more about the city. The home page contains a link to a streaming DVD about the city. Another link, “Our Community,” also contains information about schools, churches, neighborhoods and groups like the senior center and Gardendale Beautification Commission.

“If a prospective business or resident is looking at whether to come here, the site gives demographics and the DVD has a lot of valuable information,” Phillips said. “It’s a great information tool.”

The site is expected to be fully operational by July 8, but Currington said many of the features are functional now.

“It’s technically finished, but there will always be more things to add and update,” Moore said. “We’ll let it ride for a few months, take a break and see how the public responds.”