County officials unveil redesigned Internet site FREEHOLD - The Monmouth County Board of Freeholders, together with the county's Department of Public Information, has launched a newly designed Internet Web site that provides easier access to important county services and information in an attractive, user-friendly format. "The Internet is fast becoming the communication tool of choice," Freeholder Director William C. Barham said. "With that in mind, I am pleased to offer the residents of Monmouth County this brand new tool to help them find their way around county government and the services it provides." According to a press release, included in the new Web site design are a first-ever county newsroom, where press releases and other news articles about Monmouth County are posted, and the first quarterly newsletter from the Board of Freeholders called "Monmouth in Focus." There also is a new county slogan, "The Place You Want to Be," which appears on each Web page as well as on all press releases. The Web site - still at www.visitmonmouth.com - includes the following new features: a county newsroom with complete listings of press releases with photos than can be downloaded and used by the media, news articles about the county from area newspapers, access to county newsletters, photo albums with pictures from county events, and proclamations issued by the Board of Freeholders; listings of county jobs and how to seek employment with the county; an e-mail subscription service where subscribers can sign up for automatic e-mails notifying them about meeting notices, press releases, newsletters, county alerts; freeholder contact information, including telephone numbers and e-mail capability, as well as postings of minutes of prior board meetings; online registration for Monmouth County Park System programs; information about county road projects and detours, as well as links for mass transit; a new tourism site with an easy to read calendar of events; and streamlined links for easier navigation. Future plans call for making the Web site a more useful tool for municipalities who partner with the county on the delivery of services. For example, Monmouth County already provides many shared services such as emergency management, bonding through the Monmouth County Improvement Authority, and even the county library. In the months ahead, the county will be using its new Web site to promote other shared services and will provide municipalities with a way to sign on to those services online. "The Web site eventually will be a place where the 53 municipalities in Monmouth County can search for a variety of shared services with an eye toward reducing their individual costs by being part of the county system," Freeholder Anna C. Little said. Another key feature of the new design is the ability to retrieve the minutes of Board of Freeholders meetings and copies of resolutions online. "We've come a long way toward making county government more accessible to the residents we serve," Freeholder Theodore J. Narozanick said. "The Web site is a window into county government and I hope people will visit us and learn more about the many services that are available to them." According to the press release, the new design was created in-house by the county's Department of Information Services, with oversight from the Department of Public Information. "Our goal from the very beginning of this project was to create an entirely new look and feel for the county's Web site, to make it attractive to visitors with our choices of color and photographs and, above all, make it easier to navigate and find what you are looking for," said William K. Heine, director of the Department of Public Information. "I think we achieved that, but our work has really just begun. Now we must fine-tune it and begin redesigning department Web sites and adding new features." Heine also credited William Morgan and Christopher Roberts, programmers, and Danielle Brancadora, computer trainer, all from the Department of Information Services, for their work in bringing the new design to life. "They accomplished a tremendous amount of work and deserve all of the credit for this new Web site," Heine said.