CLEARLAKE, Calif. – After an absence of several years from the Internet, the city of Clearlake once again has a Web site as well as a newly created Facebook page in an effort to open new lines of communication with residents and visitors.
The new Web site, which went online late last month and was formally presented to the Clearlake City Council at its meeting last Thursday, is located at http://www.clearlake.ca.us/ .
“It's going to be a great tool for our community, and for our staff as well,” City Clerk Melissa Swanson, who was the city's Web site project manager, told Lake County News.
In March, the council awarded the contract for building the new site to CivicPlus, which also has created sites for a number of local governments across the state, including the cities of Cloverdale, Dublin and Richmond, and the county of Plumas.
The contract amount for building the site was $26,111, with an annual maintenance fee of $4,013, as Lake County News has reported. According to the contract's terms, CivicPlus will redesign the site at the end of four years for no additional fee.
Swanson said she believed it had been 2007 since the city had an active Web site.
She said it was “fantastic” working with CivicPlus. “I am not tech savvy by any means,” she said, noting the company worked with her and other members of the city's Web site committee to make it very easy to understand.
The new site includes information about the city government and departments, services, city ordinances, meeting agendas and minutes, and a calendar.
The site also features an area called “community voice,” where residents can weigh in on a number of topics in an effort to better the city, and a “Let Us Know” section that currently includes forums on council members, traffic complaints and lost and found pets, and which can be expanded.
“I am particularly excited about how much information we will be able to disseminate to the public via the Web site, like our agendas, staff and council contact information, and questions people frequently ask that now can be answered by going online,” Swanson said. “Important documents, like our city budget, will be available for review.”
In addition, the city created a Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/pages/City-of-Clearlake-CA-Government/236486596510756 , on Nov. 22.
There, city staff are posting links to meeting agendas, press releases and job openings.
Swanson said she's excited about a photo gallery the city is developing for the Web site, which includes pictures going back to the 1950s and 1960s.
She said the city is looking for people to submit photos, both current and historical, that they are willing to let the city use on the Web site.
Photos can be emailed to Swanson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or taken to her at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive, where she will scan and return them.
For more information, email Swanson or call her at 707-994-8201, Extension 106.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.