I have been following the conversation around my own Union Hill neighborhood and a couple of other neighborhood forums in regards to the distribution of free copies of the local papers as well as the weekly flyers of advertisements that are delivered throughout Bremerton.

For the past several years I have enjoyed with great pride the surge of energy, community spirit and support that many residents and entire neighborhoods have put forth in an effort to support local Bremerton businesses, community events and neighborhood functions.

I have enjoyed and utilized the position I have been afforded, as a Bremerton community columnist, to write frequently about many Union Hill happenings, the various volunteer or charity efforts of its residents and the interesting topics of discussion that affect our fair neighborhood and many of the neighborhoods of Bremerton.

So it is with a heavy heart that I read and hear within the neighborhood that I have grown to love and support with any attention or coverage I can give, that a growing number of residents choose to view the published words that report, inform and define their community as nothing more than irritating litter to ignore, throw away and complain about.

I feel very bad for the local businesses that spend their time and money on the weekly advertisements which are being dismissed out of hand by some of the very people who like to proclaim that they want to support as many Bremerton businesses as possible.

It hits very close to home when I hear these same residents bemoan the fact that they only wish they could learn of and discover the hidden retail and service gems of our community that they don’t already know about.

The chance to learn about your community is sitting and waiting patiently for you at the end of your driveway every single week.

A few simple pieces of paper infused with the incredible ability to educate you on city issues that will impact your home, tax rates or lifestyles.

These pages are also filled with advertisements from business and service establishments looking to attract your notice and hopefully make your acquaintance so that they can continue to keep jobs and services within easy community reach.

These pages will help you discover the tremendous efforts on the part of local volunteers, or the successes and accomplishments of local students who fill our community schools.

They will inform you when city construction projects will impact your ability to navigate streets or limit your access to businesses or services you need.

I encourage residents to really think about what it is that you are complaining about.

Who is it you are complaining about and what services or coverage they provide to you and the community at large?

What would it mean to you, your neighborhood, your collective functions and to local businesses if all of that information and coverage currently being distributed to a wider audience really did just go away?

Or, that the reason it went away was simply because no one wanted to bother with picking it up or looking at a few pieces of paper that define and promote the very best of what their own community has to offer every single week?