Cape County hires new website vendor

The redesign of Cape Girardeau County's webpages will be done by a local firm, as the county's commission this week awarded B&B Media of Cape Girardeau the $29,677 contract to makeover the 11-year old website.

Austin Bollinger, B&B's owner, said given the additional work to make the site Americans with Disability Act compliant, the redesign should be completed in three to four months with ongoing web support costs of $1,419 annually.

Bollinger, a 2010 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, started the company in October after having previously worked seven years for Element 74, which designed the county's current website, www.capecounty.us.

B&B stands for Beard and Bollinger, the original surnames of his mother and father.

Bollinger said the new county site, when finished, will also consolidate two other web properties: www.capecountyparks.us and www.capecountyelections.com.

The county will fund the redesign and support from its internet technology and equipment budget, according to county information technology director Eric McGowen.

B&B Media was chosen from among five bidders for the work.

Equipment

Commissioners Paul Koeper and Charlie Herbst voted Monday to purchase two new pieces of equipment.

• A boom bucket truck to trim trees and assist in the exterior repair of buildings from Altec in St. Louis for $129,256. Koeper said the truck will replace a 20-year-old model and should arrive in the spring.
• A John Deere excavator bought through Erb Equipment at a cost of $214,400. The county will trade in its current 6-year-old excavator for $121,000 and will use the money toward the new purchase.

Both equipment buys will be financed via the highway funds line item.