Friday, September 6, 1996 Designer pulls town into new world on Web BY HILLARY SHENFELD Daily Herald Staff Writer Resident sets up computer page for Glen Ellyn Ted Eselgroth didn't waste much time after returning to Glen Ellyn. One of the first things Eselgroth did after coming back to his hometown after a 28-year absence was log on to the Internet to find out what was new in the village. Finding that Glen Ellyn didn't have its own Web Site, he decided to produce one on his own. Now, anyone with access to the Internet and an interest in learning more about the Village can fire up their computer and visit www.glen-ellyn.com to get loads of information about the town. The fact that the village is on the Web -- the text, pictures and sound part of the Internet -- is not unique for municipalities. But what makes Eselgroth's venture different is that he gathered all the data and produced the Web Site on his own, with no help or money from the Village of Glen Ellyn. "I live in and like Glen Ellyn, and I'm a Web Site designer," Eselgroth, 52, said. As a 25-year marketing and communications veteran, he said it also wouldn't hurt to get some business out of it, creating Web Sites for paying clients. "It's both a worthwhile service and a showcase for prospective customers," he said. "The Web is the next means of distribution of information for business and industry." Eselgroth has toiled mainly in the now "old-fashioned" world of producing video and audiovisual sales presentations and training programs for corporate and industrial clients. But while living in a suburb of Atlanta, he devised a Web Site for Cherokee County, Georgia, that now gets 6,000 hits -- electronic visits -- a week. He moved back about two months ago and quickly got his Glen Ellyn vision on line. Eselgroth decided to put a range of news on the Web Site that he believes will be helpful to both newcomers and life-long residents. "It's just common sense," he said. "I just posted the things I'd like to know." He's come up with a list the includes government-related information like Village departments, and the names and addresses of elected officials who represent Glen Ellyn. That can't interfere with anything the village has on line, because Glen Ellyn doesn't have an official home page. David Cox, assistant to the village administrator, Said Glen Ellyn's effort to get its own Web Site remains on the back burner. "The village has for a number of months considered doing something on the Internet," he said. "However," he added, "We've never been in the position to spend the time to decide what we even want to do with a page." Other spots on Eselgroth's Web Site show maps of parks, schools and other landmarks, and a regional view showing Glen Ellyn's proximity to Chicago and other suburbs. Commuters will be interested in Metra's train schedules and a state transportation expressway congestion map. Another area displays photographic scenes of the Village's past and present. There's also news about the Public Library, the Historical Society and Stacy's Tavern, local civic organizations, social clubs and arts groups. The Web Site has weather reports from several sources offering up-to-the-minute forecasts for the area; other information includes detailed census figures about the community. Users can also link to other places on the Web from Glen Ellyn's Home Page, such as the DuPage County government site, the College of DuPage, and even the Daily Herald's classifieds. "If appropriate information is already online, I'll simply point to it," Eselgroth said. The Glen Ellyn Web Site is up-and-running, but, like the Web itself, is constantly changing. "Over time, we want to post pages for virtually every non-profit and governmental organization that has useful information to offer," Eselgroth said. "Whether they need to reach students, parents, seniors, people thinking about moving to the area, or former GlenEllynites and college students who just want to come back every so often for a 'virtual visit.'" ©1996 Daily Herald. Reprinted with permission.

Email Ted Eselgroth at ted@glen-ellyn.com.

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