… with this post.
Time to change it up a little. Since the first post at ParrySounds.com almost four years ago the information available to Parry Sound residents concerning the activities at Town Council have vastly improved. No longer is the interested resident limited to having access to a council meeting agenda that could only be viewed at the library and town office. At this point the meeting agendas and the full council packages can now be accessed online and downloaded for viewing, printing and saving.
At the same time the North Star & Beacon Star have increased their coverage, print and online, of Parry Sound council activities, including the budget meetings that are not covered on Cogeco TV. And of course the full proceedings of council can be viewed live and on the Cogeco cable service (delayed).
The net/net is that there seems to be little value for me to actively cover all of the goings on at Council. Interested individuals can easily get the information they need to understand not only what is on the Council agenda, but also the supporting documentation made available to the Councillors. The final decisions are similarly captured in the Council meeting minutes that are posted online by the Town. Topical items are usually well covered in the local media, Moose-FM for quick next day updates, and online a few days later at parrysound.com (no, not this site but MetrolandMedia’s) and then next week in the North Star and Beacon Star.
It takes a fair amount of time to review the agenda package, research, draft, edit and post the agenda preview, attend council meetings, and then draft, edit and post the council meeting notes; about about twenty hours a month.
So the preview and review posts of Council meetings will be limited to issues I feel are of importance to the community and could benefit from some discussion and investigation. That should make it a little more interesting for all involved.
Starting next week we’ll all save some time preparing and reading these posts. That will free up time for me to look in to some of the other issues impacting Parry Sound that don’t receive the attention they should. We really don’t have an appropriately critical mainline press presence in Parry Sound, they are too dependent on Town advertising dollars and Town ‘access’ to chance ‘pissing off’ Council or Staff.
Hollywood North, or is that Near North? (Parry Sound in Black & White)
No comments
March 27, 2014 at 7:49 am
I have enjoyed the easy access to the council’s goings-on on that your blogs have provided & thank you for providing that.
Your role as a community blogger could go in many directions. What could be interesting is mesh of historic tidbits, community events and public awareness. Writing about things people can do to be more involved in their community or support important cultural infrastructure such as the Museum or local charities that provide service to those in need. There is a lot that can be written about in a vibrant little community like Parry Sound. Best of luck with your new direction. Jason
March 27, 2014 at 4:17 pm
Thanks for your comments. I’ll probably invest time looking at the goings on of our town government. After four years I am increasingly uncomfortable with the current goings on. Nastiness, naughtiness or inattention? I’m not sure but I plan to keep an eye on things and pass on my thoughts to the community. There are people more capable than I, people who have lived in Parry Sound for decades, to comment on the Town’s past and present.