By ERIC SLAGLE Daily News Staff Writer eslagle@dailynewsemail.com Got a question about Forward Township?  A new Web site being developed by township Supervisor Dave Magiske may have the answer. Check out www.forwardtownship .com if you are looking for emergency numbers, tax information, government meeting times, local churches, historical informational about the township and much more. The site is under production but Magiske said the public is able to access functioning links and windows as they are completed. Its an ongoing effort, Magiske said. Its a place where people in Forward Township can go for accurate, up-to-date information. Its been fun, said Magiske, who began developing the site two months ago after a family member gave him a 90-minute lesson in Web authoring software. Magiske said he's ready for a second lesson in Web design and also is looking for sources of content. I need information and I need pictures, he said. For example, Magiske would like to get photos online of the tipple where the Ella Mine unloaded into barges; the coal mine between Axelton and Bunola when it was in operation; and the 1942 U.S. National Championship winning soccer team from Gallatin. Fellow Supervisor Tom Headley already has submitted a written

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history of Forward Township , now posted on the Web site. There are some interesting things in Forward Township and we want to highlight them, Magiske said. He said the most important thing is for people to stay informed.  Eventually, in six months to a year, Magiske said he would like to develop a discussion board where viewers can post their comments. Though there is currently no public forum on the Web site, Magiske said users can reach him by e-mail at various links on the Web site including "Who hosts this Web site?"  Web master Rich Rattanni, who runs the Elizabeth Area Web site at www.elizabethboro.com, has posted a link to the new Forward Township Web site on his Web site. Anything they can do to better communicate between the supervisors of Forward Township and the citizens in the community is a step in the right direction, Rattanni said. A popular feature on Rattanis Web site is the Elizabeth Area Discussion Board, where registered users can post their opinions and ideas about local current affairs. The discussion board regularly includes postings about Forward Township and other Mon Valley communities.  Rattanni, who owns RSR Tech, a computer repair shop in Elizabeth, said he put the discussion board online five years ago with the intent of using at as a way to keep in touch with customers, but it grew into its own thing. These days, the site has more than 14,000 readers and averages 1.5 million hits per month.