Paradise to pay for new website platform before site goes offline
By Mark Squibb
Town of Paradise staff have been advised by GHD Digital that the Town’s current website content management system, which staff use to add content to the website, is being discontinued and replaced with a new platform.
The end-of-life for the current system is June 30, 2026, but the end-of-maintenance will be effective December 30, 2025.
“With end of life, the content management system will be taken offline, and both the public facing front end of the website and the administrative internal backing will not be accessible, and the backup of the Town website would be deleted,” said councillor Larry Vaters. “Essentially, the Town website would be offline and inaccessible to the public or staff. By end of maintenance, the public front end of the website would continue to be available, however there will be no further software updates to the content management system. GHD Digital will continue to address any critical issues and offer support to keep the site functional until the end-of-life date.”
The cost to migrate the Town site to a new platform will cost roughly $24,000 and the migration would be implemented in three phases. Roughly $7,000 would need to be paid this calendar year, and the remainder will be paid during the 2026 budget year once the site has launched.
The implementation process, set to begin in October, will take about five months.
Vaters said the new management system from GHD Digital offers new features and upgrades, and the website will boast a new look and feel.
Vaters added the new website will be compatible with eScribe, the service the Town uses to livestream its council meetings.
While motions of council are usually voted on during public council meetings and not committee meetings, council made an exception and approved the motion during this committee meeting, so as to get the ball rolling.
CAO Lisa Niblock said staff were recommending approval of GHD Digital’s contract rather than issuing a tender call because of the time constraints.