New Borough Web Site on the Way

Hatboro Council on Monday night outlined the next steps for the launch of its new Web site, which is expected to go live in July or August.

Councilman Robert Hegele, chair of the Public Relations Committee said he anticipates the revamped site to be ready in four to six weeks. 

at a cost of about $6,000, sent borough officials a handful of possible mock-ups of the site last week.

Hatboro resident Carol Inman voiced concerns about the inclusion of community members in the feedback and approval process.

Inman said it was important that the public had a chance to review the storyboards to offer suggestions on how the site can be most accessible to and inclusive of people of varying technological abilities and who will be using different facilities to access the site.

Inman suggested the storyboards be displayed in Borough Hall or another public location for residents to peruse and offer comments.

Hegele noted that the council was confident that Sitecats took resident usability into account when designing the site. 

“We spent months looking into about five or six different companies and we feel that this company, which has worked on Web sites for other boroughs as well, can best service our community’s needs,” Hegele said.

Hatboro solicitor Christen Pionzio said that while the borough welcomed the input of residents, relying on public feedback to shape the approval process could “bleed over” into other issues and become “dangerous.”

After a lengthy back-and-forth, Council Vice President Vincent LaSorsa told Inman that the public relations committee, which also includes Councilman David Rich, would review the mock-ups with Sitecats and make suggestions for possible changes before placing the topic on a council meeting agenda for its consideration.

At that time, the public would be invited to offer their feedback.