Fruhbauer to build town Web site

KENT — The Board of Selectmen approved $1,500 for a new Web site for the town at its regular meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 4, at Town Hall.

At the meeting, Town Clerk Darlene Brady said the town has struggled to be compliant with a state law that requires all towns to post minutes on Web sites of all meetings of boards and committees within seven days.

The state law, public Act No. 08-3, an Act Concerning Comprehensive Ethics Reforms, went into effect last October.

“The current manager of our Web site only works weekends,� Brady told the board. “We currently are doing the best we can, but we really want to do better than that.�

Brady said the new Web site, when completed, will be managed and updated by Town Hall employees.

The board approved the lowest of the two bids for the project, which was from Global Business I.T., a local company owned by Vilem Fruhbauer, who is also Selectman Vince LaFontan’s brother-in-law. Because of his relationship to Fruhbauer, LaFontan abstained from the board’s vote to approve Fruhbauer’s contract.

The funds for the new Web site will come out of the newsletter portion of the selectmen’s budget.

“We feel that, with this new Web site, we’ll be able to do what we did with the newsletter,� Brady said. “If anyone in the selectmen’s office or any office wants to put out information to the town, each department will be able to because they will all have access.�

Brady said Fruhbauer enthusiastically pursued the town Web site project.

“He has done quite a bit of business overseas and this project would be the first one he has done locally,� Brady said. “He’ll be able to go over to local municipalities and have something to show for it. Yes, we are a guinea pig, but he has proven himself with other Web sites and he has been on top of things.�

Brady said the new Web site is planned to debut some time at the end of August.