NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city is finally getting a new website designed to be far more user-friendly than the current one. It's set to be launched on Aug. 24.
The city's website is more than a decade old — ancient in internet terms — and hasn't had much in the way of upgrades since.
"The current city website has a lot of shortcomings. First and foremost is security," said Mark Pierson, the city's chief information officer. "The site is very vulnerable, it is hard to navigate, it is not modern at all. You cannot resize this for a tablet, a phone, it's very clumsy."
He told the City Council on Tuesday that editing the site is extremely difficult, the content management system is limited, it has a lot bugs and is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, something the city is under order from the Department of Justice to fix.
"We have to get outside help to anything with the front page," he said. "And oftentimes the site crashes, leaving the site down for most of the day."
He described the new site as "slick" and easy to navigate and it also translates to tablets and phones. It features an image of the downtown with navigation links for home, government, business, residents, visitors and help at the top styled like the city's new hexagon logo.
In the middle are the most commonly used menu items like calendar, meeting and notices, payment center, contacts, and special areas like COVID-19 updates. Also included is a link to where documents related to governmental meetings will be posted. It has the attributes of most websites nowadays with a search bar, popup alerts and social media sharing.
It's also fully compliant with ADA so those with impaired vision can navigate the site and find the information they need.
The builder is Revize of Troy, Mich., which also redesigned the city of Pittsfield's website in 2017. The cost was $20,240 and includes support for the first year; the annual maintenance and support cost is $2,400 per year, beginning in the second year of the contract. This includes servicing and content backup, and built-in redundancies and security so the uptime rate should be 100 percent.
The build was authorized last August and was expected to launch around March but the COVID-19 pandemic "derailed it," said Pierson. Once staff was able to be get back into City Hall months later, "we hit the ground running," he said. "I also want to give a shout out to [Administrative Assistant] Michelle Ells who did a lot ofwork on this site."
In response to questions, Pierson said the payment portal is the same, it just has a better and larger visual.
"I think it looks great, I like the setup," said Councilor Marie Harpin. "It looks like it's easy to navigate."
Pierson said the launch is set for Monday, Aug. 24, to ensure the IT Department will be on hand smooth out any issues rather than trying a weekend debut.
The original site was built by the former Agency BCM, which had been a sister site to iBerkshires.com.
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Hoosic River Revival to Host Hybrid Fundraiser and Community Events
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Hoosic River Revival is scheduled to host a hybrid internet and event fundraiser from June 9 to June 21, 2025, which includes an online silent auction and an in-person walk and gathering at MASS MoCA.
The online "Confluence Of Two" Silent-Auction Fundraiser will run from June 9 to June 20 at 12 p.m. This auction provides an opportunity to bid on one-on-one time with various Berkshires-celebrated VIPs, with proceeds benefiting the non-profit Hoosic River Revival. The VIP experiences offer winning bidders the chance to walk up to one mile with a community leader as they lead registered walkers in the "Hoosic River Run" on the morning of June 21.
The "Hoosic River Run" is a mile walk and timed 5k race, hosted by Hoosic River Revival and the City of North Adams. The event begins and ends at MASS MoCA, following a route along a section of the Hoosic River that is lined with flood chutes. For those who do not win auction lots, in-person registration to walk or run will be available on June 21, starting at 7 a.m.
At 7 a.m. on June 21, the "Confluence Of Two" meetup and photo opportunity will take place at MASS MoCA Courtyard A. Winning bidders and their VIP walking partners will be introduced by Hoosic River Revival. Participants will receive Hoosic River Run T-shirts and swag bags, and each duo will be photographed for publication.
Also at 7 a.m., conceptual designs for a new architectural riverwalk will be premiered. These designs, recently commissioned by Hoosic River Revival, in collaboration with the City of North Adams and internationally-acclaimed architecture firm Group Work, aim to transform the river into a central asset for the city. The visualized concepts are intended to enhance flood safety, ecology, infrastructure for recreation, and riverside accessibility for residents and visitors. They include the option for a riverwalk loop that could connect diverse neighborhoods and potentially link to the Natural Bridge State Park, expanding on the vision of Hoosic River Revival Founder Judy Grinnell since 2008.
The one-mile walk will commence at 8 a.m., following the same route as the timed race. Participants will traverse the MASS MoCA campus, pass the Little Hoosac Tunnel, and circle back at Western Gateway Heritage State Park. At the park, students from the Berkshires' Academy for Advanced Musical Studies (BAAMS), accompanied by founding musician Richard Boulger, faculty, and alumni, will premiere an original song titled "The Wise Old Hoosic," dedicated to the Hoosic River.
Following the outdoor gatherings and race awards presentation at Courtyard A, MASS MoCA Community Day will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., offering additional special events. Visitors can view the industrial-engineering perspective of the "Confluence Of Two" branches of the Hoosic River from The Prow balcony in Building 6, which was redesigned by Bruner/Cott Architects.
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