Winding Up

Reading Katherine Watt's Blog "On North Plainfield" this morning has got me thinking about the future of the "On Hillsborough" blog. Ms. Watt announced yesterday that she will be "winding down" her blog over the next few weeks. Since its inception in March of this year, "On North Plainfield" has provided a wealth of information, and opinion, on the issues facing that town. Ms. Watt is an excellent and tireless writer, incorporating diligent research and unique insights into her chronicle of life in North Plainfield. I have especially enjoyed her many photo essays, and will be saddened to see her go.

So what about "On Hillsborough"? Is it possible to run out of ideas for the blog? The Courier News would like their bloggers to publish five out of every seven days. With that kind of volume it is easy to use up ideas in a hurry. But a bigger problem for me is my unwillingness to merely recapitulate news stories, or do a "What's Happening This Week" type of piece. These are things you can read in the newspaper - and I don't feel the need to repeat them here.

So what's left? There are still a lot of topics deserve further attention, and some that I have barely touched upon. And there are ongoing topics that won't get old for a long time.

Here's a list:

1. The Charter Study Commission - a final decision on a recommendation for a new form of government is expected tonight - and then things should really heat up.
   
   
2. The Route 206 Bypass - I have a feeling we haven't heard the last of this "final" proposal.
   
   
3. The Town Center - Many long-time residents have strong opinions both for and against the idea of a pedestrian friendly "downtown" for Hillsborough.
   
   
4. Quiet Trains - I promised to write about my proposal for silencing the horns, and I'll get to that soon.
   
   
5. The Transit Village - I have a specific proposal for the train station and transit village.
   
   
6. Parks and Recreation Facilities - I am going to continue this series weekly through the rest of the summer and into September.
   
   
7. Historical Items From the Newspapers - I will continue to dig up news items from the past, and try to relate them to what's going on now.
   
   
8. Your Turn - What other issues need exploring? Let me know in the Comments section.
   
   

With all of these topics, it's clear that I'm not yet ready to "wind down", in fact I'd say I'm still winding up!