BROWNSTOWN
Establishing a town website has been one of the Brownstown Town Council’s goals in recent years.
Creative Avenue, a Web development and graphic design business in Brownstown operated by Matt Maurer, was tabbed by the council a couple of years ago to come up with a website proposal.
No contract was signed, and the town did not spend any money. But it was recorded in the meeting minutes that the town would have the company create a website, Clerk-Treasurer Dave Willey said.
The five-member council was in agreement during Monday’s meeting that it wants to see some action on this project.
“We had a motion, and it carried to use Creative Avenue to design us a website. We’ve never really gotten anything out of it,” council President John Nolting said. “It was just one of those things that we did it, and then nothing ever happened.”
Creative Avenue provided the council with an initial concept in 2013. That was expanded in 2014 with more details of what the website would look like, its function and the stages of development and design.
Costs associated with the project also were shared in last year’s proposal. Design and hosting of the website would cost $3,499.99. A year after the launch, there would be a fee for the company to make updates to the site. After that, the town would be offered services at a discount.
Creative Avenue’s three-page proposal stated the company would work with the council to determine what information would be included on the website, and the council would have access to the website to update or modify contents.
The design sample contained tabs for industrial, residential, commercial, entertainment, government offices, directions to the town, information about Brownstown and its schools, and town contact information. The main page also included pictures and a way for residents to pay their sewer bills online.
The company said the professional photos of the town used on the website would be available to the town to use for other projects.
Nolting said it would be good to invite Maurer to an upcoming council meeting to explain the status of the website.
Council member Bethany Brewster said she would take on that task. That will help the council determine if it wants to continue with that company or find another one to get the website up and running.
“(Maurer) is going to have to be a pretty good salesman to me to get the job for what he has done,” council member Bill Sweeney said.
Willey said Creative Avenue created websites for the local water company and chamber of commerce a couple of years ago. At that time, Maurer said he would begin working on the town’s website after those two were completed.
Both of those websites were established, but Willey said he was told the chamber of commerce has since had a different website created because the other one wasn’t user-friendly.