FEBRUARY 2016

GOING DIGITAL:                                                websites and additional information about local activi-
A NEW LIFE FOR THE SENTINEL                                   ties.

Beginning in April or May, the Perry Park Sentinel will       The size of each issue will no longer be limited by the cost
change its production and delivery processes and become       of printing and postage, so there should no longer be the
entirely internet-based rather than print-based.              cautionary “if there’s room” when you submit something.
                                                              This fact alone should encourage greater community in-
The costs of printing and postage simply make the cur-        volvement in the paper’s content. Send us your articles
rent methods of production and delivery impossible to         and pictures!
maintain economically. Despite generous donations from
readers and local organizations, as well as many loyal ad-    In the next several months, we will provide specific infor-
vertisers, we can no longer afford a print-based Sentinel.    mation about where/how to find the Sentinel on the web in
                                                              the future. We have only begun to work out the details, but
The paper itself will not change. Production costs will       within a couple of months, you should be able to access
continue to be supported by our advertisers and dona-         any future copy of the Sentinel on the web—no more call-
tions. The ever increasing printing and mailing costs are     ing the editor and saying, “My Sentinel got thrown out.
what we must eliminate to continue the quality publica-       Would you mind looking up....”
tion that has been distributed free of charge to the Perry
Park area residents for 38 years. The Sentinel staff will     Local residents started The Perry Park Sentinel in 1977.
remain volunteer as it always has been.                       Early editions contained no ads. The paper was paid for
                                                              by local residents and businesses and consisted of several
Going online means there will be many improvements in         mimeographed pages. The staff drove the neighborhood
the paper itself. We will be able to produce anything in      and left a copy in each mailbox in Perry Park. Current
color. Advertising and pictures of local events and activi-   circulation covers much of southwestern Douglas Coun-
ties will now be in the glorious color they deserve rather    ty, about 1800 homes in the Larkspur area, delivered by
than the black and white we could previously afford. Ad-      USPS. Processes change, but the tradition continues.
ditionally, an internet-based Sentinel will allow for links,
making it much easier for readers to access advertisers’      In the future, internet access will continue to increase
                                                              readership. The number of copies available will no longer
                                                              be limited by production and postage costs. You will be
                                                              able to send as many “copies” of your hometown paper as
                                                              you wish to your friends and neighbors all over the world
                                                              from your own computer—just send them the link!

                                                              We want to thank our readers and advertisers for their sup-
                                                              port, and we look forward to bringing you an even more
                                                              robust and dynamic Sentinel in the future.

                                                              Karen Dale, Editor-in-Chief
                                                              Linda Ross, Associate Editor
                                                              Diane Jauch, Advertising and Business Manager