I spent the afternoon in Starbucks hoping to connect with the community. But the only person I recognized was a parttime English teacher at the high school. I began to wonder if everyone who walked in had just come off the highway. With such a steady stream of customers it seemed like there should have been more familiar faces. What does it mean when you’re the editor of your hometown newspaper and you hardly recognize the people who pass through Starbucks?
Every Wednesday I spend the day out of the office and in the community. I try to come face-to-face with people I don’t otherwise see. The best stories come this way. In January I was in the library interviewing our town’s state representative. He mentioned in passing that Burger King and Boston Market were vacating their storefronts in the downtown shopping plaza. I jumped into the story and posted it online. It pulled in 2,000 hits.
I spent this morning reporting a story on a proposed elevator for one of the town’s elementary schools. The superintendent showed me the architectural plans. The principal walked me through the building. The story is starting to come together just in time for Town Meeting when voters will decide whether to appropriate $500,000 for the elevator’s installation.
The town moderator is writing a story on “Ten things to understand about Town Meeting.”
Overall, it was a productive day. But next week I’m going to Kimball’s coffee shop.
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