WITH PANDEMIC FUNDS, OLD LYME WEBSITE GETS ONLINE IMPROVEMENT

Old Lyme — The town this week announced a new website interface funded with $44,000 in pandemic relief funds.

In a news release, officials said the upgrade, carried out by website host CivicPlus, was overseen by a task force of Town Hall staff members. Task force member and Registrar of Voters Jennifer Datum said the group found that most people visiting the site were looking for information on trash and recycling information, Parks and Recreation Department programs and how to apply for certain permits and licenses.

“This led us to make these topics more easily accessible from the home page,” she said. The home page also includes an improved calendar and news alerts.

The upgrade includes a directory of Town Hall employees and a link to all meeting agendas and minutes, according to the release. The new website also complies with the website practices set by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Officials said much of the conversion is complete, but cautioned it will take months to move all documents from the existing website to the upgraded version. Hard copies of all agendas and minutes are available in the Town Clerk’s office.

The website improvements are part of a larger effort to make online access easier for residents, officials said. A $36,000 effort to provide live recordings of town meetings is in the development stage.

Both projects were approved by voters at a town meeting in July as part of a package recommended by the American Rescue Plan Committee to distribute $2.1 million in federal aid. The money was allocated to help organizations recover from the pandemic and to fund community initiatives that address the negative impacts of the pandemic.