Pheobe Blackham and her family moved to Alpine four years ago because of what she calls "the country feel of this town." She got the country ambiance - plus a lot of work.
Blackham is the editor of Alpine Newsline, a monthly newsletter sent to every household in the city and in Alpine Cove. The Newsline is between eight and 12 pages, and all of Blackham's work is volunteer.And what is Blackham's compensation from the city? "They invite me to the Christmas party each year," she said.
At the prodding of Mayor Elaine Barnes, Blackham got involved
shortly after her arrival in Alpine. Blackham attended City Council meetings because she and her husband were interested in buying property in Alpine. Barnes asked Blackman to take over the Newsline, which to that point had been printed sporatically by the city.
Now, residents sometimes ask Blackham: "There was a Newsline before you?"
Although Blackham works 35 to 40 hours a month on the newsletter, she does have help - Jamie Bernards is Blackham's fourth assistant in nearly four years. While she appreciates all the help she has received, Blackham says the assistants are sometimes overwhelmed by the amount of work required.
"I've just kind of become the one that keeps it going," said Blackham, who has thought about resigning several times but considers the Newsline is too important.
"The purpose of the paper is to inform the citizens of what's going on."
Blackham sees the city as in transition - the "old-timers" want to inhibit growth, while new residents and developers want to build. This situation makes distilling information even more important, she said.
Blackham has been accused of editorial bias, but "I try to keep it to just an information paper," she said.
The greatest lesson she has learned at the Newsline is the need to volunteer. "I just feel like everybody needs to do something for their community."