The start of a new year often brings change; and, to kick-off 2015, the town of Fenner recently launched a new town website that will offer community members more user-friendly access to vast amounts of town information, including local history, geneology, local photographs, links to local laws and regulations and a local business directory.

The new site, launched Jan. 1, was created and is being updated and maintained by new Town Clerk Paula Douglas, who joined the town office last November to take over for retiring clerk Joanne Buyea.

“It’s something I wanted to do; I felt like it was time. The website was put in place in 2005 and had been there for years and not much been changed,” Douglas said. “But the main reason was because I wanted to be able to update it.”

The previous town website was created and maintained by a web designer, to whom Douglas had to send all the information to be added to the web page. “I felt like it took as long to email the web designer as if I had just done it myself,” she said.

The new site immediately stands out to viewers with its fall foliage view of Fenner, its orange sidebar full of information links and the Madison County bicentennial seal. Where the previous website had basic town information, contact names and numbers, meeting dates and some information about the Fenner Wind Farm, the remade website goes much farther afield.

In addition to that basic town information, the website now includes new information on town assessments, the court, the Comprehensive Plan and the highway department; there is a page to download all of the various town permit applications, another page to download and read all the town zoning regulations and local laws and a page coming soon on which will be posted all the town’s legal notices.

Douglas is currently working on creating a how-to page that will tell site visitors information such as how to register their dogs, apply for permits and offer comments or complaints to specific town officers. In the near future, she also sees information on town tax issues and explanations of the working of the town planning and zoning boards being added.

“There are so many more people on the Internet now that making the information available seems like a nice thing to do — and it will save me time from getting a lot of phone calls,” she said.

Other than municipal business and politics, the website also offers a town business directory, a history of the Fenner Community Church, information and resources to research local geneology, a town history page, links to local recreational opportunities and scenic photographs of Fenner taken by resident Rhea Wisniewski.

“We’re really trying to promote Fenner as a place that is its own community. We are thrilled to be part of the greater Central New York area, but we do have our own identity as well,” Douglas said.

Town Supervisor Dave Jones said the new website will be a great benefit to the town and the board is very pleased with how it is turning out.

“Paula has done an excellent job on this; she’s computer-savvy and enjoys doing it,” Jones said. “It’s very user-friendly.”

The Fenner town website is still a work-in-progress, Douglas said, and one thing she hopes will happen as it continues to evolve is that town residents will take a look at it and provide her with feedback — not only on the usefulness of what is posted now, but also on what is not posted that residents would like to see.

The town of Fenner website can be accessed at townoffenner.com. Anyone who would like to offer website feedback or submit information to be posted can contact Douglas at the town office at 655-2705 or via email at [email protected].

Jason Emerson is editor of the Cazenovia Republican. He can be reached at [email protected].