FIRST UP on GMW is an occasional column that highlights shorter announcements or updates, and helps you get a quick start to the Wilton news of the day. Have a news tip, item or something you know people are chatting about? Email us at editor@goodmorningwilton.com.
Help Wilton Library Win $1,000 Grant
Each month Fairfield County Bank highlights four charities, giving them a chance to receive a $1,000 donation. Wilton Library was selected as one of the charities for the month of August. The charity with the most votes wins!
Supporters can cast a vote every day online. Library officials say the donation will support collections and programs for the public to enjoy — if the library wins, Wilton wins!
River Road Sidewalk Repaving and Repairs
The Department of Public Works will be closing a stretch of the sidewalk in Wilton Center on the Norwalk River side of River Rd. during the week of Aug. 22 for repaving and repairs. The section of sidewalk that will be repaired extends from the intersection of Old Ridgefield Rd. to just south of the footbridge to Schenck’s Island.
Work crews will be on site from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. A flagperson will be present to assist pedestrians needing to cross River Rd.
Wilton Fire Department Swears In Two New Firefighters
The Wilton Fire Department swore in two new firefighters earlier this week at Fire Headquarters. Wilton Town Clerk Lori Kaback swore in Firefighters Zachary Terenzio and Michael Baumblatt at a ceremony on Monday, Aug. 15 in front of their family members, town officials, and first responders from the other Wilton Emergency agencies.
Terenzio and Baumblatt will now begin several weeks of training, and once they finish, each will be assigned a shift.
Wilton Library Launches New Website
Wilton Library Association has launched a new website redesign that was created and customized by the WLA Marketing Committee and the library’s in-house technology team. Library officials say it “reflects the library’s commitment to embrace innovation and technology, while always adapting and evolving to provide resources and services that meet the growing digital needs of the Wilton community.”
“We have worked hard to create a website that reflects the library’s commitment to inform, enrich, connect, and inspire our community,” said Sandy Stein, Board Member and Head of the WLA Marketing Committee. “Every aspect has been thoughtfully designed to provide people of all ages with an inviting and innovative experience that elevates the imagination. We are confident that as you explore the site, you will find that it is friendly and intuitive, making it easier than ever to navigate and take advantage of the wide variety of resources and programming that the library offers.”
The decision to redesign the website came after the library’s rebranding during its 125th-year anniversary.
“With the new branding, we tried to move the library into a new digital age while still keeping the original heart alive. With the website, we tried to do the same. Rather than just update the fonts or colors, we felt that the Wilton Library website could use a new perspective,” said Emily Moore, a volunteer on the WLA Marketing Committee who created the site’s design principles.
Every year, more than 70,000 users visit the library’s website to use the library’s catalog, search and register for events, reserve eBooks and Audiobooks, get book recommendations, and much more. The library’s Technology team built the new site “from scratch” based on historical website traffic to make sure that the new site reflected how users interact with the library online.
Thomas Kozak, Head of Technology at Wilton Library, created the site’s infrastructure. “Rather than modify an off-the-shelf platform, we decided to create a fully custom-built engine based on Sandy and Emily’s stellar design work. The code is built on open source libraries but was developed entirely in-house. This will make the new website faster for users and more adaptable for the future.”