A screen grab of the home page for the newly redesigned redbanknj.org web site.
BY BRIAN DONOHUE
One of the most reviled sites in Red Bank just got a sprucing up. We’re not talking about a vacant building or defunct gas station. We’re talking about the ramshackle ol’ municipal government web site.
The redbanknj.org site has remained largely unchanged and grown increasingly clunky to use since its last major overhaul in 2016. It appeared Tuesday with a new look and the promise of improved functionality.
Borough Manager Jim Gant said the redesign was covered under the existing contract with the borough’s web services provider CivicPlus.
“We plan to launch it, we plan to take a look at it, make improvements and receive feedback,” Gant said at last Thursday’s meeting of the Mayor and Borough Council. “There will be a new look for the web site and I think it will be more user friendly and I hope it can get people to where they need to go. “
The old site was remarkable for how difficult it was for users to locate basic information such as a meeting agenda or applications for construction permits.
The new site puts the search function front and center allowing users to search, seemingly more easily, for what they’re seeking. Does it actually do a better job of helping you find it?
We gave it a test with a common document we have frequently been flummoxed trying to find on the old site, even using the search function: the 2023 Borough Master Plan.
In the past, searching for the Master Plan turned up a long list of maps, meeting agendas and other flotsam but never the actual Master Plan document, which we had to find by turning to a search engine separate from the actual web site.
On the new site we entered the term and, while twelve other documents came up first, it actually did eventually produce a link to the actual Master Plan. We’ll call it progress.
We also did a search for the most recent agenda for the Zoning Board of Adjustment and we got one…from October 2024.
We’re in the web site business and we know that every relaunch and redesign is an involved process with inevitable glitches. We here at redbankgreen – and we’re sure, the folks at Borough Hall – would love to hear how the new site works for you. Let us know.
redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331 or yelling his name loudly as he walks by. Do you value the news coverage provided by redbankgreen? Please become a financial supporter if you haven’t already. Click here to set your own level of monthly or annual contribution.
