A New View of Grandview City website makeover improves look and functionality

By Leah Wolf

The City of Grandview Heights website has undergone a facelift. The new site is personal to Grandview and offers improved functionality.

Following the traditional recommendation to update a website every four years, web designers and site users got together to decide what improvements needed to be made, says Grandview Heights Fire Chief Steve Shaner, who oversaw the changes.

What emerged is a new look that focuses on accurately reflecting the feel of the city, as well as representing the new Grandview Yard area. The new site also provides a more userfriendly experience.

“The company that we use kind of streamlined things and they’ve updated stuff to make it easier to find,” Shaner says. Public documents, the No. 1 reason people visit the website, are now easier to find than ever, thanks to the updates.

The new website also increases the ways residents can connect with events happening in the city. It has links to the Grandview Heights Facebook page and Twitter feed, where residents can get news from the city through social media instead of through email. If residents still want news through email, the new website allows them to better customize what type of information they receive, from City Council meeting agendas to updates about when fire hydrants will be tested. If citizens have health or safety concerns, the website also provides an easy way for them to connect with the right officials.

Residents can also better connect with the Parks and Recreation Department through the website’s redesign.

“Folks will be able to go onto the Parks and Recreation site and be able to sign up for programs and request facilities like the park shelters,” says Shaner. With tight city budgets, the website is a great tool to help keep personnel costs low.

“Any way we can make it easier for the general public to get information without increasing the amount of staff we have here, we feel it’s a win-win for the citizen,” says Shaner. “They are getting a good service that we’re able to provide at low cost, and that’s a great thing.”

Visit the Grandview Heights website at www.grandviewheights.org

Leah Wolf is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at laurand@pubgroupltd.com.