Jeremy Usher's Company Jeremy Usher's company, Firefly, based in Damariscotta, will be designing a new Web site for the town of Wiscasset to make it easier for both town employees to update it and for residents to use. (Photo Paula Gibbs)

If design follows function, Wiscasset's town website may soon not only look better, it will work better.

That's the idea behind Jeremy Usher's plan to build a custom website for the town. Usher, a Dresden resident who is one of the principals in the multimedia design firm, Firefly, made a presentation recently to Wiscasset selectmen to explain his proposal. Firefly, located in Damariscotta, specializes in "immersive, dynamic design, with a focus on integrating different media into a cohesive whole," according to their website, www.firefly-design.com . The company's expertise "ranges from video and interactive web applications to traditional graphic design and print."

Usher is a former Wiscasset resident whose inspiration from middle school teacher Gary Woodcock prompted him to pursue his high school education at the Maine School of Science and Mathematics in Limestone, where he completed his secondary education, graduating in 1998.

As Usher explained to selectmen, the new website will be far more "user friendly," especially for those who post information on the website, than the current website. Instead of having to enter the same information over and over again in different places, a one-time entry will automatically go to all the places where the information should appear.

"There has been a lot of good research in the last few years on the useability/accessibility principles of good website design," Usher says.

Usher recently designed a new website for School Union 74, which includes Bremen, Bristol, Damariscotta, Newcastle, Nobleboro, and South Bristol. His proposal to the selectmen included the following "primary areas" on the town's website: homepage; managers journal; agendas and minutes of selectmen's meetings; town staff; economic and community development; visit Wiscasset's bylaws, ordinances, codes, links; photo gallery; and forms/database downloads.

Usher was joined in his presentation to selectmen by Parks and Recreation Director, Todd Souza, who also manages the Wiscasset Community Center. Souza said a better website would cut costs of operating his department by, among other things, saving money on printing costs for forms and brochures. This section of the website would include a homepage, brochures and program categories; facilities and parks; staff members; photo gallery; friends of the department; instructor resources; employment and volunteer opportunities; the After School Adventures program; information about youth and teen camp; rentals; swim team; donations; the Wiscasset Community Center calendar; special events; and useful links.

Asked if information on the schools will be included, Usher said he hasn't been approached about this, but even if this isn't done at the same time, it can be added later.

In describing what he means by a "custom content management system," Usher says, Town staff will be able to access a protected web-based administrative area where all site content can be easily added, modified or removed without knowledge of HTML, or site systems. For instance, a town staff member would have the ability to add a press release simply by filling in plain-text fields for date, title and content: the item would then appear instantly on the public viewable website in all appropriate areas (e.g., homepage and news section) while being fully integrated into the look and feel of the site."

The cost to incorporate the information already on the current website and design the new town website is $6,750, the cost for the department of parks and recreation's website is $5,750, for a total cost of $12,500. The projected timetable includes a completion date of April 25, 2008.