In November, we announced that we’d decided to sell HCN’s longtime office building in Paonia, Colorado. Our staff has dispersed across the region in recent years, and even the dozen employees who still live in the area generally prefer to work from home.
Well, the deed is done. In late November, I signed the closing papers — and, in a surprise twist, promptly signed an agreement to rent back one corner of it.
The former production room, where Art Director Cindy Wehling laid out the magazine and the editors proofread the final version of each issue is now a cozy new workplace for HCN’s Customer Service team, and a place where visitors are always welcome.
The building’s new owner, a local graphic designer, has an exciting new vision for the place. She plans to rent the other offices as art studios and use the open areas for classes and gatherings. The “morgue,” where we stored back issues, will become a library of community art supplies.
A whole lot of history
We’re delighted to be staying put, with all the HCN history in that building. When I told former staffers about our plans to sell it, I was deluged by their memories.
Several folks recalled the previous office across the street, where HCN was housed in the 1980s. “Every inch of wall space was lined with desks, stacks of paper, file cabinets or other equipment,” wrote Linda Bacigalupi, who was HCN’s associate publisher at the time. “The walls were cold, the floors were cold. … Irritating gas wall furnaces rattled and blew hot air and then went deadly cold.”
The current office was formerly a hardware store. We haven’t been able to find a complete list of readers who contributed to the massive remodeling project that began in the early 1990s, but we know longtime HCN board member Andy Wiessner played a central part, and that Connie Harvey and John McBride gave generously to create a spacious, light-filled and warm workplace that included in-floor heating and lots of natural light. By the 2010s, the building housed more than 30 employees, including editors and designers and interns, as well as the business and customer service teams.
Who wants our papers?
There are some things we won’t miss about owning a building, most notably paying the bills for insurance and maintenance and the old phone system and a hundred other little things. But we do miss working together in person — it’s hard to retain that sense of community when we’re scattered to the winds. And those of us who don’t live in Paonia miss the frequent visits from readers, who would drop by to say hello and grab some fresh corn or peaches from the local farm stands.
We’re looking for creative ways to build camaraderie among a far-flung staff, and we’re always excited to connect with all of you. Keep an eye on this column for news of upcoming gatherings and events, both online and in person around the region.
The other challenge we’re facing is a more practical one. We also sold the adjacent storage building, which holds decades of papers and records, including some things that might have historical value. I found one box, for example, that contains a collection of files that HCN founder Tom Bell kept from the paper’s earliest days in Lander, Wyoming.
I have a few calls out to universities and libraries that might have room for this material in their archives, but suggestions would be welcome. Please email me directly at greghanscom@hcn.org.
Saving resources
You might notice that the pages in this month’s print magazine are slightly smaller than the December issue. We’ve adopted more typical magazine dimensions, allowing us to save money and limit our waste by using a standard paper size. In addition to the resources it saves, we hope it will mail better, be easier to take with you and be more comfortable to read.
Best wishes for the new year from the whole HCN staff, in Paonia and across the big, beautiful West.
We welcome reader letters. Greg Hanscom is the executive director & publisher of High Country News. Email us at editor@hcn.org or submit a letter to the editor. See our letters to the editor policy.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline We’re not moving after all.
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