Hoffman Estates to launch upgraded website Thursday

Hoffman Estates' website at hoffmanestates.org - already a more convenient source of information than driving to or calling village hall - is about to become even easier to use.

A long-prepared upgrade to the site is scheduled to go live Thursday morning.

One of the most dramatic differences will be the new site's Google Translate tool, allowing it to be read in 102 languages from Afrikaans to Zulu, said Suzanne Ostrovsky, assistant to the village manager.

But there will be numerous, more subtle improvements to the site's navigability and user-friendliness as well, including a mega menu and additional buttons on the front page, she added.

"We're looking at the analytics to see what people are searching for most," Ostrovsky said.

The upgrade is not a complete rebuild of the website - village officials were clear they didn't want that - but rather a carefully designed refresh done every four years, she said.

The best way to understand what she means is to check out the site once it's launched. And if you're reading this online before Thursday morning, visit the website now for a basis of comparison.

As recently as Monday, a resident unclear on some aspects of the village's video gambling policy and number of businesses that have gaming terminals attended the village board meeting to ask how she could learn more and be aware of pending business proposals.

The answer: Visit the website.

And it should now be easier to do than ever before.