TownLink wins Rep. Joe Courtney’s 2025 Congressional App Challenge in Connecticut’s Second District

When asked what inspired the creation of TownLink, the students said, “Three out of four members of our team are on our school’s rowing team and noticed an algae problem in the Connecticut River. In recent years, the aquatic ecosystems in Glastonbury have been affected by the invasive and noxious aquatic hydrilla plant. It propagates quickly, blocks sunlight, leading to harmful algae that spreads through boats. The crew team often shares notes with each other on which part of the river is affected by this.  This was such a local but important issue to the people of the town.  Looking around and having conversations with other people, we realized that there were many such issues that mattered to the local community only, and not to the larger demographics. 

“While quite a few digital solutions cater to the global and larger social connections, local issues get left behind and never quite get highlighted. Our team felt inspired by this to create an open communication platform designed specifically to raise issues and promote community collaboration. We recognized that many residents not only had issues but also had valuable ideas, questions, and observations about their towns—but often lacked a dedicated space to share them with others nearby. In fact, many residents in our town share these ideas in small, disconnected groups—but don’t use our local government’s system of submitting these ideas, which is to share them with the town hall. 

“Rather than relying on scattered conversations across social media or word of mouth, we envisioned a centralized platform where communities could come together in a focused, productive way. The goal was to create a simple, organized, and welcoming space for people to contribute meaningfully to their neighborhoods. TownLink was built to encourage collaboration, spark new ideas, and provide a sense of belonging. At its core, TownLink is about giving people a voice and helping them feel heard by their neighbors and local leaders alike. TownLink was inspired by a desire to strengthen local connections and make community involvement more accessible.”