New Fairfield, CT - Town Website Redesign Proposal

A modern redesign proposal for my town’s official government website, built as a civic contribution to improve how residents interact with local services online.

Why This Project

I’ve always valued contributing to my local community. During my years in Chile, I regularly collaborated with local organizations and causes. When my wife and I recently purchased a home in New Fairfield, Connecticut, I immediately started looking for ways to give back to our new community.

After exploring the town’s current website, I saw an opportunity to propose a modernized version that would better serve residents - especially in terms of accessibility and mobile experience.

The Proposal

This isn’t a commissioned project - it’s a speculative proposal submitted to the town as a demonstration of what’s possible. Whether it gets adopted or not, I wanted to contribute something tangible to my new hometown.

Technical Approach

Accessibility First (WCAG 2.1 AA)

Government websites must be accessible to all residents. This redesign prioritizes:

Proper heading hierarchy and semantic HTML
Sufficient color contrast ratios
Keyboard navigation support
Screen reader compatibility
Focus indicators for interactive elements

Modern Stack

Astro: Static site generation for fast load times and SEO
UnoCSS: Utility-first CSS with minimal bundle size
TypeScript: Type safety for maintainable code

Performance

Municipal websites often struggle with performance. This proposal:

Achieves 95+ Lighthouse scores
Loads in under 2 seconds on 3G
Works without JavaScript enabled
Optimizes images automatically

Key Improvements

Simplified information architecture
Mobile-friendly mega menu
Quick access to common services

Services Section

Clear categorization of town services
Direct links to forms and applications
Emergency information prominently displayed

Events & News

Modern calendar integration
RSS feed for announcements
Social media integration points

Contact Information

Department directory
Office hours clearly displayed
Interactive map for town facilities

Community Contribution

This project reflects my belief that everyone can contribute to improving their community. While waiting to see if the proposal gains traction, the codebase remains open source for:

Other towns to reference or adapt
Civic-minded developers to learn from
Discussion about municipal web standards

Technical Highlights

// Accessibility-first component pattern
interface ButtonProps {
  label: string;
  ariaLabel?: string;
  disabled?: boolean;
}

Zero JavaScript required for core functionality
Progressive enhancement for interactive features
Print stylesheets for important documents
High contrast mode support

Submitted: December 2025 Status: Proposal pending review License: MIT (open for other towns)