How a Young Map Enthusiast Is Opening Up Front Royal, One Layer at a Time

What started with a fascination for maps in a Northern Virginia condo has now evolved into a powerful digital tool for local transparency, thanks to Sean Mennard, the Town of Front Royal’s new GIS Coordinator. Since joining the Department of Planning and Zoning in late 2025, Mennard has been building an interactive Geographic Information System (GIS) that allows residents to view town-specific data, from sidewalks and zoning to special-use permits and public infrastructure, at their fingertips.

“GIS… stands for Geographic Information Systems, and it is just a digital online software to make maps,” Mennard explained. “It could be anything from a sidewalk to a road sign to a fire hydrant. GIS makes it possible for the common man to see.”

Though many are familiar with Warren County’s GIS, which displays parcel information and ownership data, the town’s GIS system goes a step further. “The town will have our own specific information like our zoning maps, our public works information, our sidewalk maps,” Mennard said. “It should be a pretty seamless puzzle piecing together.”

Still, he cautions users not to rely on GIS for legal property boundaries. “It’s not a perfect science… It’s good enough for like a glance,” he said. “But past that point, it shouldn’t be used for anything serious.”

The system officially launched in November with an interactive map for the Hometown Heroes veterans banner project. Mennard personally mapped the location of each banner using his phone, allowing families to easily locate where their loved ones are honored on Royal Avenue. “I can’t tell you how many positive comments I got when I was walking around mapping those,” he said. “People were very happy to see the town was taking an initiative to highlight the best citizens, the most courageous and brave men and women we have.”

Mennard’s goal is simple: give citizens clear, real-time access to what’s happening around them. “I want to see it going to a state of real transparency,” he said. “Every citizen in the Town of Front Royal [should have] the ability to see what is going on at any moment.”

He’s already digitized decades of records, including special-use permits dating back to the 1970s. “You could click, and you can see there was a pizza place there in 1988 that had a special use permit for their ovens.”

Mennard, a James Madison University graduate, earned both a BA in archaeology and a BS in GIS mapping, after discovering his passion for mapping in a college class. “Once I took that class, I was like, I really want to do this,” he said.

His experience includes internships with Warren County and the Historic Staunton Foundation, where he built full GIS systems from scratch. “I took them from a state of absolutely nothing… to a full architectural GIS tool.”

Since starting in October, he’s impressed his colleagues with a rare blend of technical skill and initiative. “Our IT guy at the town… was just beyond himself when he saw the website I created for GIS,” Mennard said. “He’s like, I never thought planning and zoning would have a guy who could make a website.”

Looking ahead, he hopes to make the system increasingly user-friendly and locally tailored. “I want to make it so that it’s a more intimate experience for the user,” he said. “If you’re interested in where the sidewalks in town are… can I walk from, say, Skyline Middle School to Warren County High School safely?”

The GIS platform is live and accessible online. Residents are encouraged to explore the system, and if they spot any errors or outdated data, Mennard wants to hear from them. “If you see an error, if you see something that might be wrong, give me an email, give me a phone call,” he said. “My door is always open in the planning and zoning office.”