The town was awarded an e-Vermont grant that will result in a new
website for the town, among other technological upgrades. Moretown is
among 12 rural communities to receive the e-Vermont Community Broadband
Project grant.
The steering committee is working to coordinate a public forum in March
or April that will include the seven project partners and outlines of
various projects; the forum is open to the public and residents are
encouraged to participate and contribute ideas.
According to minutes from the January 21 meeting, "Partners who will
attend the forum will include representatives from the Snelling Center
for Government and the Vermont Department of Libraries. Break-out groups
will form and then re-assemble to share their ideas with the group and
formulate a project list."
While many of the projects won't get underway until spring, the town is
already using Front Porch Forum, an online email-based newsletter that
allows residents to sign up to receive and exchange information.
Residents can join by visiting www.Frontporchforum.com and entering a
street address from within the service area that Moretown is now
included in.
Additional projects identified so far, according to the meeting minutes,
include design services for the town and school websites. "Digital
Wish" will also work with the school to familiarize themselves with the
new netbooks they will receive.
Sheehan said, "The Digital Wish staff is particularly excited by the school's plans to digitize town oral history projects."
As an e-Vermont town, Moretown will also be eligible for mini grants and
assistance developing a wifi hotspot in the village. Sheehan said that
Moretown could expect assistance with expenses for developing wifi
coverage (up to $5,000).
According to the minutes, internet connection fees and repeated
replacements would become the responsibility of the town but could be
sponsored by local businesses.
The e-Vermont grant funding provides towns with consultants to address
potential technological upgrades; websites can be document-based so town
employees are able to update content while the site would be controlled
and backed up by a third party.
Workshops and training will be provided to residents and business owners
by the Vermont Small Business Development Center and Vermont State
Colleges, to address business development, social networking, basic
computer skills and computer training for seniors.
The e-Vermont Community Broadband Project is supported by a $2.5 million
stimulus grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce with additional
support from Vermont philanthropists, corporations and organizational
partners (a full list can be found at www.e4vt.org).
The e-Vermont program is one of the few national broadband adoption
initiatives focused on rural needs and it is being viewed as a national
model. These towns are among the first to explore how the internet can
be harnessed as a tool for community development.
Visit www.e4vt.org for more information.
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