By staff

TUPPER LAKE — Five small businesses in Tupper Lake will be receiving assistance to create or upgrade their websites with redesign help from Lake Placid marketing firm, Adworkshop.

The five businesses receiving the awards are: Sunset Park Motel, Raquette River Brewing, P-2’s, Park Motel, and the Red Top Inn.

The funding for the awards is part of a Department of Environmental Conservation Smart Growth grant the town received in 2015. The town’s application, called “Improving Tupper Lake’s 21st Century Curb Appeal” focused on both a brick-and-mortar refurbishment to the Tupper Lake information center on Park Street, and on aiding local businesses looking to modernize their internet presence, or “digital curb appeal.”

In February, the town held free digital marketing workshops presented by Adworkshop and the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism, or ROOST, at the Goff-Nelson Memorial Library. The workshops focused on developing a social media strategy and on understanding and using best practices for website design.

Aside from these workshops, the Smart Growth grant funds also gave businesses the opportunity to apply for Adworkshop assistance in crafting new websites. The awards were announced by Town Supervisor Patty Littlefield at the regular Town Board meeting Thursday night.

To be eligible for the awards, business owners needed to show that the improvements would have a significant impact on their businesses’ web and social media presences, as well as on Tupper Lake’s tourism development priorities.