After a couple of years' hard work behind the scenes, Athlone finally went online with its own portal website last week.
The seed of the idea for www. athlone.ie was sown in a motion before the UDC in 1999.
Two years on Mr Frankie Keena, a councillor who was behind the motion at the time, is now chairman of the company which was set up to run the website, Athlone eCom Ltd.
Athlone.ie was fully supported by the local authority and the Westmeath county manager, Ms Ann McGuinness.
The UDC funded a feasibility study and has also budgeted £32,000 a year for the next three years to support the project.
Westmeath County Enterprise Board also made a substantial grant and has provided Athlone eCom with an office. F┴S is also supporting the project and has paid the salaries of five IT trainees since last year. F┴S also pays the company a monthly materials grant.
The Government paid £100,800 toward the cost of developing the site. A full-time development manager, Ms Carmel Duffy, and webmaster, Ms Sheena Lawless, are now employed by the company.
"This will be a great benefit to our town. It will help companies, particularly SMEs, [small and medium enterprises] to market their products and to develop, not only a local, but also a national and a world stage," Mr Keena said.
Among other business benefits, the site will provide website design services for SMEs.