Lake County forest district looking to upgrade website

The Lake County Forest Preserve District’s website is loaded with helpful information about the agency’s many facilities and programs — but you’ll have trouble accessing it if you surf the web on a smart phone or another type of mobile device.

The site — lcfpd.org — was designed in 2000, long before the iPhone, iPad and similar gadgets became popular with consumers. As a result, that modern hardware and the district’s old software don’t communicate all that well.

But officials are taking steps to change that by overhauling the website. They say a new site will improve communication with the public and boost the district’s e-commerce abilities, a valuable tool in the still-struggling economy.

District staffers have recommended the forest board hire a Park Ridge firm called AmericanEagle.com to create and host the new website. The work would cost up to $300,000, according to the district’s proposal.

Although cutting edge when it was launched, the district’s website hasn’t kept up with the times. Not only is it not formatted for smart phones, but it doesn’t allow visitors to fill out electronic forms, it can’t capture email addresses or other customer information, according to a district memo.

It also doesn’t allow e-visitors to make more than one purchase at a time and does not send automatic email confirmation of purchases — a standard fixture of retail websites today.

Money for the project was included in an information technology improvements funding plan. Annual maintenance costs will be budgeted within an existing website fund.

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