Above: A screenshot of Ulster County's new website, online at ulstercountyny.gov. The photo in the shot -- one of a series promoting Ulster County tourism -- is "Big Air At Belleayre," by local photographer Franz Edlinger.
Launched today: A new and improved website for Ulster County, boasting greater user-friendliness, increased access to government information, and a bunch of photos showing off some of the county's prettiest scenery, from Belleayre to the Rondout waterfront.
The county's new site is ADA-compliant, and will feature a site-wide emergency alert banner with critical information during emergencies.
The website's architects at Next Step Digital, the Kingston digital design and marketing business that built the site, are proud of their work:
“This was an ambitious and complex project for many reasons, but in the end, information is more accessible for the people of Ulster County than ever before," Next Step partner Mike Kilpatrick said in a county press release announcing the new site. "We are thankful and honored to have played a role with this project, and look forward to seeing Ulster County use their new website as an effective communications tool.”
The Times Herald-Record reports that Next Step Digital's contract cost Ulster County $75,550, and runs from October 2012 through April 2014.
With the new redesign, Ulster County's website is arguably the splashiest in the Catskills -- though Greene County's official website, also geared toward luring tourists to the area, comes close. Sullivan County's website isn't quite as slick-looking, but it does feature a handy box for recent official news. Delaware and Schoharie counties have fairly no-nonsense static websites, without much in the way of breaking news or recent notices on the front page.
