Website development hits snag

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Although Lakewood Ranch Town Hall had planned to launch its new governance website this month, that start date now is on hold.

Lakewood Ranch Town Hall Executive Director Eva Rey recently announced the community will not use Association Voice for web-hosting services as planned and likely will hire someone to custom-build the new site, which will provide information about Lakewood Ranch’s existing community development districts, the Inter-District Authority, homeowners associations and more.

“While (Association Voice) is an excellent product and may be perfect for a different kind of community, Lakewood Ranch is very unique, and Association Voice’s product would require much more customization than originally discussed,” Rey said.

Testing of Association Voice’s product has been under way for about two months, Rey said. Town Hall had 90 days to test the site and its functionality, and because administrators are not fully satisfied with the results, Town Hall now is eligible for a full refund. Rey said the only costs incurred were for staff and consultant time.

Rey noted Association Voice offered several enticing features, including integration with Town Hall’s Jenark software system, but overall, the product did not meet Town Hall’s requirements and specialized needs upon testing.

“We needed seamless access of services, regardless of who was providing it — HOAs, CDDs or the IDA,” Rey said. “I don’t think Association Voice was built for that type of service.

“It’s better to get it right,” she said. “I’m comfortable with the delay.”

Town Hall’s new part-time information technology specialist, Art Sugarman, has experience with website development and has been providing input in the process. Rey said she now plans to hire someone to custom-build the new website, a move she expects will further trim costs, particularly on an annual basis.
Rey said she hopes the website will be up and running sometime in March.

Upon its launch, the new website, www.lakewoodranchgov.org, will have all the functionality and communication components previously planned, however an online bill payment system, if residents desire one, would be rolled out at a later date, she said.

The new project timeline for deployment of the website will not have an impact on the current use of Digital Village for sharing community information, Rey said. Residents can continue to use the website, www.lwrdv.com, as a communication tool. They are encouraged, however, to send updates to [email protected], to ensure they are included in the new website once it launches, as well.
Rey also said Town Hall will conduct more public input workshops regarding the new site, as planned. Workshops now are slated for sometime around March, although no dates have yet been set.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].